I've built a social media consulting business, Thrifty Mom Media, out of being connected and generating online buzz. I connect to tell stories; it's what I do all day and I love it. Connecting is my business, and it's also my life.
My children are now 11 and 13 and this is an age when connecting takes on a new shape. They venture out into the world a lot more than they ever did before - technology gives them a certain freedom to grow, while also staying in touch. When they are away from me, sometimes they text to let me know they’re coming home and when I travel, they Skype, Facetime, call, or text me often. Occasionally, they text from school because they want to touch base and other times it’s because they legitimately need help.
My eldest daughter has an anxiety disorder, so I had her phone connected last year on her 13th birthday. She also has an iPad. For her, technology and connecting can be a tool to help her manage anxiety symptoms. She has apps to help her remember strategies and to help control anxious thoughts and behaviors. When her apps can't help, she uses her phone to call me when she feels completely overwhelmed by a panic attack. Unfortunately, panic attacks sometimes happen at school and school personnel are not always well-equipped to handle them - because mental health issues and panic attacks aren’t really well understood in a lot of places. Sometimes she needs to call to connect with me for support.
Technology is the tool that helps her stay connected, healthy, and safe.
My younger daughter was given an iPod for her birthday this year. She uses it to stay connected to her widening circle of friends and to connect with family. Though tech is being used in my family to stay connected, we are aware that a line must be drawn and rules must be made, so we take time to talk and connect regularly in person without technology intruding. We strive to have meals together and electronics are not allowed at the dinner table.
Our kids are growing up as digital and social media natives because their world is connected all the time. As parents, it’s our job to teach and guide tweens and teens on responsible use of technology. I also feel like it’s my job to remind my kids that technology can be used to educate, explain, entertain, and escape. It can help our kids connect and also disconnect but there’s a time and place for both.
Technology is a valuable mental health tool here in my family. Connecting can be more challenging than ever as kids grow, but it’s also incredibly exciting to be alive right now at this point in time as the nature of connecting evolves so quickly. In the next five years, it will be even more exciting to witness the next set of changes that being so connected will offer us.
From keeping fit and paying bills from the comfort of your home, to being able to talk to loved ones near and far, technology today helps connect us in ways we never would have dreamed of only a few short years ago. We teamed up with TELUS to show you how technology positively impacts your life.
We put the call out for YMC Members to tell us about a time when being connected made a real impact in their community, in their business and/or their everyday life. This story is one of the winners!
Don't miss the other winning stories that will show you how connectivity impacts all of our lives and how you can use it to stay connected in yours.
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