A growing number of parents are searching for a sense of continuity.
The newest reflection of the trend to look backwards goes beyond watching favorite, long ago kids TV shows on You Tube or celebrating friendship anniversaries via Facebook.
What really helps parents feel like a kid again? Pumping on a swing, scrambling up a jungle gym and skipping stones in a park lake.
Enter: playgrounds for adults. After all, who wouldn’t enjoy a bit of wholesome fun today?
Parents have been quick to embrace the multiple forms of digital tech, designed to accompany moms and dads through every stage of their journey.
From fertility tracking before conception to prenatal communication devices in pregnancy to apps that connect new moms, tech is a click away.
Robots and personal assistants are the latest digital additions. Designed to help parents supervise children from adjacent rooms to answering parenting questions, data delivery is increasingly personalized. However, privacy is the issue that looms like a dark shadow.
The “bad dad” stereotypes don’t match the men I see grocery shopping with toddlers in tow or taking half days from the office to attend end of year school activities.
I’m encouraged by the level of engagement by many of the dads I see.
Some might say, “It’s taken long enough,” but even the “dadvertising” on TV seems to reflect this positive shift.
Posted in dads
Moms and dads are using voice-activated speakers to help them parent.
Researchers say parents use smart speakers to make lists, manage the family calendar, check sports scores and search for information about local sites.
But smart speakers also fit into the daily routine for kids: they like listening to music and asking to hear jokes.
Sounds like kids already see the benefits of a digital assistant!
Posted in children's play, dads, moms, tech
This spring, I’ve seen more parents sliding and climbing at playgrounds than ever before.
Some of that is due to dads who really enjoy fatherhood and want everyone to know it, which is fine.
But there’s true delight on the faces of parents as they squeeze through slide tunnels and pump sky-high on swings.
I’m convinced some moms and dads are trying to recapture the fun of childhood.
Posted in children's play, dads, moms
Research shows the average preschooler laughs about 300 times each day; adults laugh 12-17 times daily.
Those sad statistics, alone, offer an excuse to build play into our day.
Although fidgets never caught on as executive desk toys, we can thank our kids for giving us excuses to play. Any parent who asks their child, “Can I play, too?” will be welcomed with a smile.
Posted in children's play, dads, moms
Do dads set more limits for their sons than daughters? Are dads more emotionally sensitive to their daughters?
Researchers will ask these and other questions related to dads and their children’s gender as the daily interactions of dads increase.
Perhaps we’ll finally have data to support or refute the assumptions that dads rough house more often with their sons and sing good night songs more often to their daughters.
Posted in dads
