Does Technology make you a better parent?

These are the days of technology. We are surrounded by computers, iPods, Facebook, smart phones, Twitter, Blogs, video game platforms and so much MORE. There isn’t a day that goes by that my fingers aren’t on several pieces of above stated equipment like most other parents these days.

Without the resources available through technology I wouldn’t be the mother I am now. That could go either way. I can honestly admit to briefly tuning out shrieks and tantrums while trying to read an article, write a blog post or catch up on email. I also know that I wouldn’t have made so many “green” and healthy choices for my family over the past several years without the resources available to me on the internet. I wouldn’t be working with so many wonderful sponsors if I didn’t have the internet at my fingertips at any given moment on our laptops, smartphones or iPods. My cooking would suffer if I didn’t have endless recipes to check out and try out for my family. My kids wouldn’t get the chance to play the coolest games and toys if I didn’t read about up and coming products. My smartphone contains all of my contacts; this includes personal friends and family, our medical contacts, the kids school friends and business contacts.  The family calendar is also very important, I need access to that at all times, this happens on the laptop and syncs up on my phone.

 Books are great, magazines even better but I find something satisfying when I can type a 2 or 3 word phrase and find 28,093 results in .23 seconds. Google is my friend.  Books take up space, cost money or need to be returned to the library and usually cover 1 person's point of view or expertise.  I want a variety of information about all kind of subject and the internet brings me that.

I’m not saying I would be a terrible parent if I didn’t have these resources and tools but I do think I’m a more informed and better decision making parent today then my parents were 30 years ago.