I'm proud of being a 90's girl. I remember a lot of odd things from the 2nd millennium. Like how you could just unhook your corded phone if you were feeling anti-social. Using a computer without a mouse. Even having my Mom get frantic when I decided to go to friends house after school as a 1st grader, without telling her. I know many wonder how a rational fear could be seen as odd. Probably because I'm all for giving small children phones, not smart phones necessarily, but yes, a gadget with a nice little tracking device ;) .
I'm a big fan of the way technology is headed. I agree with many that it is entirely too easy for kids to get lost in the chaos of today's world full of gizmos and gadgets. And that is exactly the point. I think it's extremely important for parents to learn how to use these confounded gizmos so that one day they are able to guide their children through some of the treacherous waters that can be found on the internet. And eventually our children will have to know how to navigate that dangerous territory, despite every parents' dreams of a life for their kids, without needing to introduce them to anything scary.
But there is a bright side! How many people have I heard use the phrase, "a kids mind is like a sponge"? They are curious and perceptive and an early age is the perfect time to teach them proper "technological etiquette". The earlier they learn the moral, legal, and social ramifications of many aspects involving computers, and social media(!), the easier it will be for them to make smart decisions when they do have full and unguarded access to the world.
My generation, including me, already has an incredibly poor understanding of social etiquette. I had a conversation with a woman, recently, about how the baby boomers were much more adept with the idea of social graces than any of the generations following. And I believe that has much to do with the way the world is quickly changing and a refusal to "move with the times". I'm not saying society is perfect, but unless you are adapting to change, you cannot effect it as well.
I hope if I do have the opportunity to have children, I can teach them the social graces my parents tried to instill in me, while adapting those different types of "etiquette" to work in any world I end up in. Ideally I would like to act out a scene from Princess Bride in a real-life zombie apocalypse. And if you think this is impossible - I'll tell you, it's been done before by our ancestors time and time again. We can continue this tradition, but not without considering the possibilities as well as the difficulties in the attempt.
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