How Does Technology Impact Families?
One of the things I focus on as a child and family therapist is the richness of the relationship between parent and child. A healthy parent-child relationship is crucial to developing a child's self-confidence and to helping a child form and maintain healthy relationships in the future. Healthy attachment forms when a child is just an infant but as human beings, with social minds, we need the effects of secure attachment throughout our lives. In this day and age of technology with computers, cell phones, tablets, and video games, vying for attention, parents and children are distracted and disengaged from each other. Technology and video games are hypnotic and addictive and geared towards gaining the engagement of a child's brain, and an adult's too, for that matter. It's crucial when building and maintaining a good relationship between a child and a parent, for both to be able to put the technology down and just connect with a live human being. It is also very important for children to have time communicating with, and learning from, the adults in their life. Many times tired parents use televisions and tablets as babysitters when what children really need is for adults in their life to set examples for them to learn from. Children also need to learn to sooth themselves and they need to learn the joy of engaging in human relationships. They cannot do so if their attention is completely engaged by the electronic babysitter.
How can a parent and child become more connected? Parents can set aside special times to play with children, and be present with their children while they're playing. Parents can provide children the time to be able to talk, and just as importantly, they can really listen to children. It's important for everyone to put technology down and just be present with each other for healthy connections to form, and for children to learn the joys of creating and maintaining relationships. I think that for families to feel happy and connected it's not only important for everyone to put the technology down, but to use the time to really connect through talking, playing games, and being present with each other. What are your thoughts? What are your struggles with electronics? I would love to hear them.