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School Parents and the Challenge of Instant Answers

Below is an article recently published in ExchangeEveryDay that talks about the issues – both positive and negative – that access to instant answers with Technology can have on our children.

In an article on the HealthyWay website, Gretchen Bossio quotes Donna Volipitta, a doctor of education who studies neurology, psychology, and education in relation to parenting, on the new way millennial parents are raising their children:

“‘Millennials, having been raised in the age of technology, tend towards being used to immediate gratification. They want immediate solutions. If they don’t know an answer, they google it,’ she explains. ‘If they need to get somewhere, they Uber. If they need food, they Grubhub. If they want a picture, they Snap it.'”

Bossio explains how access to fast information can be both a challenge and a gift. She explains the challenge this way:

“Although we’re living in the age of fast answers, parenting itself is a slow and steady journey. We get the answer right away, even if that answer isn’t always correct or the best.The immediate, never-ending knowledge base that technology brings ushers in other things, too. Like anxiety. And worry. And misconceptions. Because, after all, Dr. Google doesn’t always properly diagnose, and the internet doesn’t always offer accurate advice.”

As for the gifts technology brings parents, she describes them this way: “On the flip side, the internet is also full of mountains of research, parenting insight, and truth that can lead moms and dads to become better parents… Posting, tweeting, pinning, and sharing photos gives us immediate access to friends, family, strangers…Strangers have become like family, all because of technology.”

Source: “Millenial Parents Are Raising Their Children In A Much Different Way,” by Gretchen Bossio, December 7, 2017