As we move ever closer to a world where technology is something we accept, it’s about time parents stopped purveying it with such distrust. Your kids are enjoying all the wonders of social media, constant connectivity, and the cloud (among a plethora of other techy goodness), so why shouldn’t you? 

While it’s understandable to feel cautious about technology, knowing how it can make your life easier might change your mind. Technology is more than wasting hours on Facebook or whatever Black Mirror predicts will happen. Instead, it’s there to help you more than you ever thought. 

Tracking Apps

You don’t want to be a helicopter parent, and you want to give your child some freedom, but a mom knows when her kid is trying to pull the wool over her eyes. Smartphone tracking apps can help ease some of the worries about where your kid is,

You’ll not be able to build trust with your kid if you go behind their back (and vice versa), so having a mature conversation about expectations should make them more open to the idea. 

Education Apps

There are a wide variety of educational apps for all ages, from apps that help toddlers learn numbers, to apps that help teens (or adults!) learn a new language. One of the great things about technology is that there is so much out there for learning. Use these tools to your advantage!

Security

Video monitoring has many benefits in and around your home, from baby monitors to security cameras. This way, you can keep an eye on your children (e.g. while baby is napping), but also around your home so that you can make your house a safer place.

Planning

Technology serves as a useful tool for organizing events. This can be for events, such as parties and sending out invitations. If you lead a Girl Scout Troop, you can use apps to manage events, payments, and more.

Calendar apps such as Google calendar are a great way to manage everyone’s activities in one place. Set up a family calendar that everyone in the family can access.

Lists and more

One of the problems of being a busy parent is the perpetual lack of food in the refrigerator even though you swear you just did groceries yesterday. Consider things like list apps, online grocery orders and smart refrigerators.

Read more about how parenting apps can help you.