I think that almost every parent or soon to be parent has read or heard about how young children watch and mimic their parent's actions, movements, emotions, and speech patterns as a way of learning how to function in the world. I am sure that almost every parent has heard how using iPhones or any other "smart" technology either in front of their children or to entertain their children will predispose them to use them more heavily later in life. While I noticed how attentive our son was even from a very young age, it didn't become fully apparent how much he took in until he started to develop his own personality and begin to mimic what my wife and I do on a regular basis. In short, young children are extremely quick learners, especially when allowed to explore the world sans technology. I mentioned before how our son upon picking up a mini snow shovel for the first time started moving it like he was shoveling snow and actually going after a pile of snow to move it. He started doing that after seeing me shovel snow only once. That was all it took for him to absorb what he saw and translate it into a physical action that he could mimic. At our chiropractor's office, it only took him watching the receptionist getting him a piece of blank paper to color on from the printer once to figure out where the paper was. The next time he was in there, a week later, he went straight for the crayons after which he went for the printer where he knew there was paper. The same goes for mixing soup with a spoon on the stove. It only took him watching us mix the soup once for him to figure out what to do. The next time I picked him when we were making soup, he went right for the plastic spoon on the counter, grabbed it, and started stirring the soup on his own (obviously under careful supervision to ensure he didn't get burned). Young children are absolutely amazing when it comes to learning about the world around them. To me, there is no better way for young children to learn how to operate in the world than to learn it first hand by watching others and trying it for themselves. No amount of iPad or iPhone apps can teach them how to function in the world. Even such a task as prepping the vegetables for soup can't be taught by technology. Our son watched us put vegetables in the food processor once before wanting to grab the carrots, parsnips, and celery to do it himself while sitting on the counter. Does he necessarily understand exactly what he is doing? Probably not, but he is mimicking actions that we do, which in turn will lead to understanding later on.
For our part, I must say that we have not entirely absconded from using our phones in front of our son, however, the percentage of time that we actually use our phones in front of him is probably around 1%...seriously. I get calls about business all the time when I am with my son and none of them are ever important enough for me to pick up the phone and take my attention away from my son. Whenever my phone does go off, (which I try to keep on silent when I am with him) he turns to me and looks for my reaction, to see what I do and how I will respond. If I don't pick it up, he goes right back to whatever he was involved in, however, if I do pick it up, his attention will remain focused on what I am doing and be taken away from either his building blocks, putting a puzzle together, or flipping through a book. Once I truly began noticing how attentive he was of everything I do, I became a little more cognizant of my own actions and how I acted in front of him. Every time I think he is involved in his own little world and I glance over at him, he is staring at me, watching me, seeing how I act. Even something as simple as chewing with my mouth closed. There was one time at breakfast when I was watching him eat, he glanced over at me (which he often does) and when he glanced over his mouth was open while chewing. Without my saying a word, he glanced at my closed mouth chewing food and his immediately closed till he was done with his bite of food. It doesn't stay closed every time he chews, but if he notices me chewing with my mouth closed on a continual basis, I guarantee that he will be more likely to chew with his mouth closed as he grows older. Its the overly simplistic actions that we carry out every day without thinking that matter most to young children. Even the simple act of giving my wife a hug and a kiss in front of our son, showing my love for her and for him so he can see it and learn it will have an impact on him as he grows older. What form of technology can teach a young child that? None.
I often wonder about children who grow up with technology persistently placed in front of them. I wonder if they will ever have the chance to learn about the world on their own, to look beyond the screen and see how the world works without technology. I wonder if they will ever enjoy the view of a sunset without needing to see it on their "screen" as well. For all our over reliance on technology, it can still fail us. If the power goes off due to a storm for an extended period of time, we will not be connected and what will those children do then. I am betting a lot of them will freak out and not know what to do with themselves. I could be wrong, but a big part of me thinks I am right on this one. I am not saying that our son is better off, I just think it is important to learn about the world without technology before introducing it to them. Which came first, the tree or the iPad? I am pretty sure the tree came first and as such, the tree should be the first thing to be learned about first hand; the feel of the bark, the way the wind moves through the branches, the way the leaves come out every spring, grow, and then wither and die in the fall, the way a tree slowly expands as it grows, how to climb it. Once these things are learned first hand, then we can introduce technology to teach children about the science behind it. I believe we must first learn to be in awe of nature. That is my take and a rare one these days I know, but I am sticking by it. Our son will not be introduced to technology until it is absolutely necessary to do so. Will he be behind a little bit in terms of learning how to use it? Yes, but with all his first hand knowledge of watching others to learn how to use things, he should be a quick study when it comes to using computers and phones and what not. Only time will tell how he will turn out, but for now, I will let his little observant nature persist and let him learn about the world at his own pace, through his own eyes, through his own mistakes and missteps. It is not for me to shove it down his throat, it is for me to present it to him and let him absorb it as he can. That is my take.
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