Koncerted Blog Addicted to Technology

I don't know about you, but I spend a good part of my day on my iPhone, distracted from real-life interactions by a compulsion to constantly check email or monitor tweets and Facebook updates. Hello, I'm Blair and I'm a technoholic.How do I know I'm addicted? When my kids wake up in the middle of the night - after I finally get them back to sleep - I often sneak a peek at my email before climbing back into bed myself. And so do lots of other folks. In fact, in this video and you'll hear Guy Kawasaki publicly admit to sleeping with his phone and expressing his skepticism about de-teching. So I'm a technology addict. It's not like it affects my family. Am I passing along my addiction to my kids? Like most children, my kids are a complete and utter delight. Except when it comes to their iPads. Then they're tiny terrors. Guess who they learned this behavior from? Guilty as charged. After all, I run Koncerted. So of course my kids are overexposed to technology. But surely having your dad be a Technaholic must have it's advantages. Thanks to my obsession with technology, it's easier for my kids to keep up with their peers. And they NEED to know how to navigate an iPad, how to purchase apps, how to get to Netflix via AppleTV - right? Recently, my wife and I came face to face with the monsters we had created. I don't know about you but when a princess dress-up game gets in the way of homework or having a conversation about the school day, that's where I draw the line. Post apocalyptic tantrum was the point when we realized we'd lost control and simply had to wean our kids off their iPads. Parents - we're in this together.This made me wonder: is it all my fault? Are we the only parents who struggle with this? Definitely not. We did a little research and were relieved to find out that as this New York Times article shows, we're not the only ones who are conflicted about setting a bad example while trying to loosen the grip technology has on our kids. The truth is, even if you're not in the technology business, you don't want your kids to get sucked into the technology vortex. But when you see your child making music using Toca Band or learning about the planets using Earth School, your attitude toward screen time changes...Can you relate at all? Are you a tech addict and a parent? Do you set limits in your house? Is it acceptable when used to learn and explore the world but highly regulated otherwise? Except at 3am when there's an important email to reply to...The next meeting of Technoholics Anonymous meets next month right here on this blog.