Parenting a Baby Today

My daughter was born one fine spring morning in 2014. By that evening, several family members and friends had met her in real life. But many more had “met” her online. Cradling her to my chest with one hand, I used the other to update my Facebook status, announcing her arrival, and the response—dozens of comments and hundreds of likes from my small circle of social media contacts—came within moments. In the intervening year, I’ve added photos and videos of her every few months, and, while none have come close to matching that first post’s popularity, such updates garner far more interest than the other things on my wall.

My use of Facebook isn’t the only way that technology and parenting have intersected, of course. Constant communication and instant information permeate my world, are so ingrained in my way of life that I have a difficult time imagining how things would be without them. Technology affects my decisions and my relationships in many ways, both big and small, sometimes easy to detect, sometimes more subtle.

In honor of Brain, Child’s 15th anniversary, my essay about having a baby today has been paired with another mom’s, whose first child was born in 2000. Join me at Brain, Child for the rest.

Also, a housekeeping note: the past two weeks have been unusually busy. Hence my failure to blog. I plan to be back to my regular writing and posting schedule next week. Thanks for your understanding!

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