Then vs Now: how technology has transformed parenting

Parenting today is, however, much easier than it was 30 years ago. In other areas, parents may have been better off receiving more support, but in others a completely different set of challenges emerges.

One thing that has made parenting easier is technology. Parents are no longer at a loss when they are looking for information on just about anything, whether it is baby's feeding or helping the kids with schoolwork. 30 years ago, parents could only be satisfied with family, friends and/or books.

The other day, if a child becomes be sick overnight, a parent finds easily information about symptoms on the internet and can decide whether a child should directly go to the emergency room. Technology has also made it possible for parents to communicate with their own children. Parents use smartphones to call or text their children whenever they want. This brings a sense of security that wasn’t possible before.

However, new challenges have come with this technology. Children today are heavily immersed (TV, tablets, and phones) with hindering behaviors it is difficult to manage. It is alarming to many parents for the information on the Internet or which other children they may come across. This is also one of those issues that parents didn't have to worry about thirty years ago.

Also, life seems busier now. A lot of parents have long working hours to pay the school fees, and the cost of healthcare. Finding a balance of work and family can be tiring, and it can lead parents to feel guilty for not having enough time with kids.

In my opinion, parenting today is at once easier and more challenging. While we now have many more resources to assist us, we also have to contend with stresses that put parenting into the realm of difficult mom and dad situations.
All images are mine