Fatherhood: Kids and Tech and Me

Any of you who have come into contact with me online will know that I’ve got a reasonably keen eye for a good gadget.

Back when I first started this blog in 2011, for instance, I wrote a piece called “Baby gadgets aren’t always baby good-gets” which outlined some of my favourite gadgets for making parenting easier – and I’ve written about issues like ‘screen time’ a few times recently.

So when the editor of the ‘AO Life’ blog asked me if I would like to contribute pieces to their site, on the subject of ‘Kids and Technology’, I thought it was probably worth a bash – which I have been doing for the past 4 months.

I’ve shared my posts on Facebook and Twitter, but have yet to mention them much on the actual blog, as I wanted to see how things panned out before sticking my head above the proverbial trench. But as things seem to be going well, I thought it was about time I shared a few of them here.

Before I do, I should point out: Despite the site (AO) being a place where you get appliances and tech, I’ve not been asked to crowbar fridges or dishwashers into my posts – though I did consider writing a piece about the things my children have (unwittingly) left in the washing machine and whether or not they survived! But as I say, it’s not really an appliance thing – as you’ll see if you read some of my posts.

First up I wrote about some useful ways you can ensure your kids are safe when they’re online – a topic I’ve been keen to familiarise myself with as my kids become more and more technologically savvy.

Next up I wrote about ‘Screen Time‘, and exactly how much is too much when it comes to your children. There are a lot of arguments for and against monitoring your children’s tech usage, and I’m not a massive proponent of either, but it’s interesting to explore the issue.

After that I wrote about Fun ways to get your kids into technology, with a particular focus on things you can amuse them with during the upcoming school holidays – courses, camps and the like.

Finally, I most recently wrote about smartphone apps which are suitable for kids – combining both entertainment and education in a way which your kids won’t reject.

I always find the trickiest part of blogging is figuring out WHAT to write about – once I’ve got a topic in my head, I find things much simpler. So while I’m enjoying writing these pieces for AO, I’m finding it tricky to come up with ‘Kids and Tech’ topics to begin with.

So, if you’ve got a tech-related issue you’d like me to explore, or to know more about, let me know!