To Ipod or Not to Ipod

"Sure, you can have a $300 Ipod. How about a $400 Iphone instead?" you sarcastically ask your child while shopping at the mega tech store. That huge grin on her face turns upside down as soon as you finish your tone-charged question. But the real question on your mind is "shouldn't I be getting these expensive gadgets for myself first?"

You are not a lone parent in this technological jungle, and certainly not the only parent to second guess yourself when it comes to getting these seemingly common items for your children. We all struggle to justify getting them the latest cell phone or MP3, only to find ourselves falling in line with the rest of the crowd by purchasing some form of electronic devise this generation just can't function without. Once the box gets home, the gadget is totally in the child's control, and you trust they know how to make it work!

Parents are usually a step behind their kids when it comes to taking full advantage of the latest telephone devises, computers or MP3s - I am no exception. However, I decidedly dove into this technological revolution, and have managed to conquer the basic uses of this modern vital equipment. If you haven't done so, you do this at your own peril.

Admittedly, the Ipod is a wondrous thing, and it's usefulness in our daily lives is endless. Music and books are the most popular uses for the Ipod, but in exploring other options I also uploaded a foreign language course. I had this epiphany while browsing at a software store. All that French I learned in college twenty years ago was quickly coming back to me as I followed the instructions ecoutez et repetez (listen and repeat) while on my morning walks. My daughter also has it on her Ipod, and is learning basic phrases. I highly recommend this to all of you who have invested time in learning a foreign language, but don't have the chance to use it.

Finally, there is another more important reason to avail yourself of these items, and that is to stay synchronized with your kids. As parents in a fast paced society, we must stay connected with our children and keep up with the latest modes of communication; be it via e-mail, instant messaging (IM) or texting, you better make sure you can say to them loud and clear: "can you hear me now?"
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