Title: NetGen Dads
Article for The Web Magazine
Published in The Web Magazine, May-June 2000 issue
The net has redefined parenting. Besides cellphones, pagers and the good old telephones, parents can chat with their children online from their offices, email reminders or use a mialing list to get in touch with grown-up children.
No many mothers are technology-friendly unlike the dads who love tinkering with gadgets and new toys. So it is not very surprising that Dads got to the web first. And there are several kinds of this new species of Net Generation Dads:
Doting Dads
New dads are those who invest in brand new digital cameras to take every single "milestone" of a newborn baby's life-- birth, first smile, first giggle, first grip, first feeding bottle, first anything-- especially if the child is first-born.
As a new dad once said: "My baby must think his dad is a black box with one big circle in the middle and the word 'Nikon' stamped on his forehead."
And it does not stop there.
In front of the computer, this Doting Dad will learn HTML or will discover such programs as HotDog, DreamWeaver, FrontPage and Netscape. Then the pictures get processed (enhanced, revised, etc.) for posting on the net.
One would be surprised at the resroucefulness of these dads in finding the ideal site for hosting their pages.
Dads by Remote
Some dads have kids who are too grown up already to be doted on. And these are the decidedly busy ones.
Fathering has never been more convenient with cellphones, pagers and, of course, chats. Children can call in or send a message anytime and they can receive the same anytime
also.
Plus, there are mailing lists for married children, especially those abroad. There are quite a few lists I know that cater to just one family where anyone can post a message to
update everyone else about what's happening in their part of the world. Thanks to E-groups, there are added facilities that can be used-- common folders for photos and an archive.
Gone are the expenses of long distance phone calls with the Dial Pad and Internet Phones. Want to see them in motion? Try .avi files.
And all these can be saved and "burned-in" to CDs for distribution to relatives and friends.
Parenting at this age of technology is becoming more and more complex. The speed of communications has made it easier to get in touch but, at the same time, it also puts more pressure on the parent to be in touch with the technological advances and their children at the same time.
I wonder how it will be when my own baby is bigger...
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