I Just Want to Know....

 

...what the next new thing will be?  Not because it would make me a rich woman, although that would be a nice side benefit.  I just wonder what new and enticing piece of technology will captivate and ensnare my kids and their generation next. And I want to know how to prepare them for it.  As if that is even possible.

Born in this new millenium.  Post 9-11.  Post dot-com.  My kids (ages 8 and 5.5) have no concept of the "hardship" of a life without Tivo, Wikipedia, and mommy's cell phone to bail us out when we are bored, late, or lost.  They want to hear a favorite song repeated on the radio, and they know we can look up the answer to just about anything on-line.  They've never questioned how it all works.  It is just there for them.

In the past year or so, my kids have really begun to embrace the fantastically personal Apple-created world of iPhones, iPads, iTunes and iPods.  Kids love them and so do their parents.  Sometimes a bit too much.  Seeing this and experiencing a new sort of obsession for "mom's iphone" or "dad's ipad", I've started thinking of my kids and their friends as "Generation-i" and wondering what instant and ubiquitous access to all this personal technology is doing to them.  How is it affecting their development?  Their attention span?  Their social skills?

A crystal ball into the future is not really what I want.  That would spoil the fun and intrigue of the parenthood journey.  That said, when I look at the changes in everyday technology that have impacted our family life in just a few short years, I shudder to imagine what twitchy, addictive, soul baring device or service will be invented next.  And we're not even old enough for Twitter and Facebook, yet.

It is out of that pondering and curiosity and a bit of anxiety that this blog is born:  To delve into and discuss that unanswerable question.  What's next for Generation-i?