EP 206 | Guarding the Hearts, Minds, & Innocence of Our Children Against Technology. Consistency and Persistence. With CHRIS McKENNA, Protect Young Eyes Founder

“I feel immense responsibility to do my little part…to help parents understand some of the truth behind these digital spaces that masquerade as okay for children and they simply are not.”

"I believe in the sanctity of childhood." That's something that Chris says in today's episode and I know each of us can stand behind that. Parenting in the Digital Age may be one of the hardest tasks we are up against with raising our children. "We have children with children’s brains, children’s development and we put them inside a space that was made for adults and then we get upset when they act like children.

"...These spaces were not designed for them in the first place, they are by nature exploitative. They are not protective. We have to hunt for protection. And that’s the part that’s so difficult and maddening. I want us to embrace what can be so good about technology, but never trust it for a minute. Never turn your back on it.” ~Chris McKenna, Founder and CEO Protect Young Eyes. 

Let's get connected AND protected with Chris's guidance today.

Let's grow,

Jennifer 

Learn more at Protect Young Eyes

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PLEASE NOTE CHRIS’ PROMISE FROM PROTECT YOUNG EYES:

Careful to match our expertise with your needs

Presentation decks for all different communities ranging from K-12, students, parents, staff, PD days

For Parents: suite of courses, Internet safety month - videos for parents and kids to watch together

**There is power in the parent-child relationship and it is important that we learn about digital wellness together

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TODAY’S EPISODE!

• There are so few places in technology that are actually designed with children in mind

• Everyday there are more and more ways for children to be exploited and we must protect the sanctity of childhood

• We all know we are the adults responsible for this issue. With that comes the responsibility of seeing that there is a depth of evil and depravity attached to that issue. We need to be aware of the places where that lies

• It’s impossible to talk too frequently with your children about how they use technology and how technology uses them

  • If they’re not finishing your sentences or rolling their eyes at you then you’re not saying it enough

  • There are very few things we need to be more persistent and on top of in the lives of our children

  • Be ridiculously persistent in our curious questions, (not our condemning), in our little nudges, little drips. “Hey, tell me, have you seen anything that bothers you?”

  • ***Even if we get no response they just need to know all the time that the door is always open because the enemy drops in completely unexpectedly in the lives of our kids all the time. 

• Guarding the hearts and minds of our children against some of the evils of technology should be top priority

  • Do your behaviors and parenting techniques show this?

  • We have children with children’s brains, children’s development and we put them inside a space that was made for adults and then we get upset when they act like children

   “These spaces were not designed for them in the first place, they are by nature exploitative. They are not protective. We have to hunt for protection. And that’s the part that’s so difficult and maddening. I want us to embrace what can be so good about technology, but never trust it for a minute. Never turn your back on it.”

• 2 ways to wrap our children in protection: relational solutions and technical solutions

  • Technical are secondary in importance and in sequence to the relational time we give our children

    • In crisis, technical leads the way

  • But relational leads in the everyday

    • You can’t control all the doorways therefore you have to make it ridiculously persistent and evident that no matter what happens they can come to you\

  • You reinforce the relational words with the practical practice and role play. Then they know exactly what to do in that moment

    ** Be connected and protected

  “The risk that technology, digital spaces, internet connected devices presents in the lives of our children is maybe the greatest risk to the innocence of our children that’s out there. So I’m simply asking us to parent accordingly and to expect at some point something is going to slip through and do we have enough practice and preparation in place when that happens.

  Parent as if it could and then when it does, you're ready. That’s it.”