Parenting and Smart Phones VI  

This month picks back up with the list of positive uses of cell phones and technology in parenting. Items 1 through 6 were in the last two newsletters.

7 – Withdraw money from an ATM. OK. I admit it, this doesn’t really have much to do with parenting, other than busy parents might be more likely to forget their wallet than most people, but it was on the list and it sounded cool. It is also new to me. Apparently you can now use a number of bank apps to withdraw money from your account without having your ATM card present.

8 – Keep track of your kids. Truthfully, I wasn’t so sure about including this one either. There are pluses and minuses about using GPS devices to track your kids whereabouts, but while they aren’t a replacement for being diligent and involved as parents, they are a tool that could be beneficial at times.

There we have it. Some benefits of smart phones for parents. Next month I finish off this series with some recommendations for how to handle smart phones and other digital technology.