BHUBANESWAR: According to a study by internet-based market research and data analytics firm YouGov, eight in 10 mothers in India believe technology has made parenting easier with 70 per cent mothers claiming to have used a smart phone for nurturing their kids. Orissa Post interacted with parents in the city to delve deeper into the subject.
Parenting apps are one of the most used and recommended products of technology used for parenting by mothers in India, stated YouGov said.
Neha Singh, a 35-year-old self employed mother, said, “Using smart phone is a good way of parenting. However, there should be a limit to such a habit. Excessive use of technology in parenting can have a detrimental effect on the physical and mental state of a child. While parenting is a rewarding experience, it can also be a roller-coaster ride.”
Emphasizing the difficulties involved in parenting, she said, “Whether you have a newborn, a toddler, or a teenager, kids can pull you in different directions anytime they want and you have no option instead of moving with them. Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. It is an exercise which we largely do ourselves with some help from Android apps.”
Sangeeta Rani, a 45-year-old mom, said, “I feel all these parenting apps are utter rubbish as they damage our kid’s health. Back in our time, we employed natural ways of parenting which made our kids healthier. We used to talk to our kids, play with them, move to different places and because of this kids are familiar to all the things. However, neither the mother nor the kids experience the elemental pleasure of a natural bond due to smart phones.”
On being enquired about the relevance of parenting apps, Sindura Mishra, who is expecting her first child, said, “I have planned to use all sorts of parenting apps for the upbringing of my kids. In this way, I can utilise time better in my hectic schedule. I can also manage my family in a better way. Usage of smart phones for parenting is not a bad idea at all.”
Archi Baral said, “I will definitely object using smart phones for parenting as I had to face a lot of problems due to this. When my son was small, I used smart phones to deal with parenting issues. This made my son toungue-tied. For a few days, we all thought that he was dumb. However, the problem was due to the usage of smart phones. We discarded using it which slowly opened him up.”
While parenting via Android apps can be useful at times, it should not be the only way of childrearing. Smart phones, no matter however useful and convenient, can never be an alternative to a mother’s warmth.
