You can’t be a parent and not make any mistakes, right? How many of us are guilty of sticking a movie in the DVD player (for those of us who are tenderly aged) or handed an iPad or mobile device to our kids to distract them so they’re out of our way while we shop, talk on the phone or peruse our Instagram feed.
Repeatedly allowing our children to engage with technology, conditions them to think its okay to neglect important social relationships. It disengages them from interacting with you, family, and friends. I’ve heard countless parents sheepishly admitting that their children are addicted to video games, social media, and TV, but haven’t a clue at how to put a halt to it.
As parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, it’s our responsibility to advocate for children and teach them how to navigate the cyber world responsibly.
While the real effective how-to guides are still being tossed around and being experimented, we can engage with our children more by having meals together as a family without any devices on the table, signing them up for their favorite sports activities and even enrolling them to learn music or language.
One of the best long term solutions is taking them on vacations and making memories that shape their character. Let them write their own stories with the wonderful travel opportunities you provide for them. There is no better souvenir than coming back from an immersive trip learning about a new culture and a new country.
Here are some of our suggestions for spending immersive travel:
·Go on “expedition” trips and teach the kids the importance of our ecosystem and how to stop it from being destroyed.
·Take them on camping trips in national parks. Tell stories around campfire, problem solve, play and weave memories that will last a life time.
·Go on multigenerational cruises with aunts and uncles onboard cruise liners that are sustainability conscious.
· Make small, local road trips.
·Take Volunteerism trips. This is the best way to learn where the problem is and how to solve it.
·Go on Safaris and inspire them to honor and love nature.
We are a long way from solving the e-consumerism crisis. Taking small, calculated steps especially while children are still young is the best way to overcome the dilemma and make a difference one trip at a time.