Last week, I waved my 18-year-old off as he embarked on the Aussie school leaver’s rite of passage – Schoolies!! A week spent kicking up your heels and living life to the max without any parental supervision at all! Oh, the sleepless nights many of us parents have had! And once Christmas and New Year celebrations are done, he’ll be heading away to University to ‘live his best life’ away from his dedicated cyber mother!
And of course, I’m delighted for him, although secretly devastated to be losing my baby boy. But it does prompt the question, am I now done with cyber parenting? Is my work here officially done?
Do You Ever Stop Being a Parent?
I remember when my kids were little, my mother shared some words of wisdom with me: ‘Alex, you never stop being a parent. The kids are the same, it’s just the issues that change.’ And she was so right. As our boys have grown up, we’ve been less involved in their day-to-day needs but still very much needed. Whether it’s to help review a work contract, provide advice on an issue with a flatmate or help pick out a suit, the parenting hasn’t stopped instead entered a new chapter. And of course, there’s no doubt that having interested, devoted parents at the end of the telephone – day or night – makes navigating life so much easier!
And when it comes to their digital lives, it’s the same story. While we have no reason to be involved in their day-to-day online lives, we have definitely been called upon to help them troubleshoot situations from receiving inappropriate messages, identifying potential scams or managing terse exchanges. And, might I add, I have also proactively offered my advice o ..
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