Q) Dear Mom:

Can I have a cell phone? All my friends have one…We promise to be responsible!

Love, your daughters

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I read a blog post not long ago that suggested we should all check our email only twice a day. Twice a day? Is that even possible? It may not seem possible but it sure is needed. Believe it our not, despite our over connected lives and reliance on technology for everything, we actually need some  unplugged time alone and as a family.

Technology has certainly made our lives more efficient and created an explosion of ways for adults and kids of all ages to connect over the last decade. The amount of that explosion at times has seemed almost unfathomable since the new millenium has arrived, hasn’t it!?

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The last decade has produced some amazing changes in child health. Recently, I consulted some of the top pediatricians in the country to figure out where we’ve come from and where we are going next.  Some of these changes may surprise you, so hold on to your seat!

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Turn Off Week (formerly TV Turn Off Week) always seems to fall during April Vacation! On the one hand, that’s brilliant timing. With most families of kids in front of screens on the go, you can’t hand pick a better time to ask people to avoid screens for an entire week. On the other hand, with screens so ubiquitous, even avoiding them on vacation is easier said than done, as we discovered last year in New York City. From screens on the limo bus to the city to screens in the hotel lobby, restaurants and Times Square, they were impossible to avoid. While I love the concept of Turn Off Week and believe we have to find a way to plug in less and live unplugged more, is it possible to truly unplug and be 100% screen-less for a week?

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To Google or not To Google, that is the question many people ponder when medical issues emerge. What if those medical issues are more urgent, though, or a true emergency? Would Dr. Google be able to guide you appropriately?

If I had my way, your computer screen would immediately reveal one of three messages if you tried to Google anything other than routine medical or health information:

Stop! Call your doctor immediately!

Or,

Stop! Go to the nearest emergency room!

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After Michael Jackson died, I couldn’t help but gravitate to the radio station in our area that was playing 24/7 Michael Jackson tunes.  I had forgotten how fun his music was – and how clean. There wasn’t a song played that I didn’t feel was inappropriate for my middle school daughters, which was a good thing because they were in the care listening with me. That is a rarity in today’s music, even on the radio during the day.

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“Stop the World, I want to Get Off!” I remember seeing that play years and years ago at summer camp. That phrase runs through my mind a lot lately as the pace of things seems to speed up more and more. I recently got one of those “smart phones” – phone, email, camera gadget. It’s really cool and can connect me anywhere any time to anyone. But, do I really want to be that accessible? On the one hand – yes and on the other: NO WAY! Sometimes not being reachable is a good thing.

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The selective hearing of children always amazes me, especially when technology is involved.  Recently I had to use technology to get my tween off technology and back to the interactive world of her family.  It was at that moment I realized there was a huge disturbance forming in the force.

My oldest daughter was on her computer IM’ing with friends – from a parent-approved IM list.  After multiple calls of her name went unanswered, I went to the door of her room and called her name again. There she was at her computer. Her fingers clicking away. Her eyes glued on the screen.

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