Raising kids today....are you scared?

I am expecting as well and have some of the same worries that you have listed in your discussion. I think part of it may be new parent jitters, but with everything changing so quickly, we can't help but to jitter about these things. I believe our children will grow up to be what we raise them to be. I know for sure that when my child is 10, he/she will definately NOT have a cell phone yet and I don't care how many of their friends do. I live next door to a woman that has an eight year old child who has a "razor" cell phone and it blows my mind. What does an eight year old need a cell phone for???

I have three kids they are 4, 6 and 9. We live in a very high crime city and it is sad to say but it is safer for them to be inside than outside. That is why we have to get Wii's and computers; to keep them inside. We also live in a digital world these days and the more time passes the more technological it becomes. With that being said cell phones and computers are almost a requirment for the most part. My daughter (the 9 yr old) has a lot of friends who have cell phones and most of them have ones that the parent can control how much they talk/text on it. I guess cell phones do not worry me as much as the kids shows that are on these days. It's hard to explain teenage pregnancy, relationships, and homosexuality to a kid. Kid's are being made to grow up so fast these days, not just from the TV or computer but even in school. My kids are all in school and we have been faced with the basics like divorced parents, but then again we also had the kid with "two mom's AND a dad". Life is not something we live behind closed doors anymore and kid's get exposed to it all.

New baby jitters are understandable but being aware of what your getting into can be your saving grace. The best advice I can offer is discuss with your spouse how you feel about certain issues and how you plan to handle them when the time comes. Do you agree or disagree with homosexuality? What type of impression do you want your kid's have about "life"?

I tried to avoid the homosexual topic for as long as I could, but after my kid's saw my cousin dressed in drag I had some explaining to do. Was I mad at my cousin? No he has every right to live his life his way, and besides they had already seen two men kissing at the Walmart.

I guess my point is this: Life happens and all you can do is the best you can do. Calm down and have faith that you will handle all situations as they come and do your best to make sure your kids have an open mind, their own opinion, an accepting heart and most of all the ability to think for themselves as opposed to "following the crowd". If you do that you will have a great kid no matter what the world throws at them.

On a side note I beg every parent to NOT shelter your kid's from the cold cruel world. Say no and stick to your guns, disappointment is a big part of life and when kid's grow up getting everything they want they fail to learn how to deal with things when the answer is not in their favor. Think about a 2 yr old pitching a fit over a piece of candy. Now picture a 16 yr old who always got what they wanted, man what a fit they will have when you can't afford or refuse to buy that new 60 thousand dollar car they want. I have even seen a grown man who always got his own way and was bailed out of everything he got into, till his mom died, he killed himself a month later sadly because mom never taught him how to do for himself. The truth is Reality bites and sometimes it bites hard, it our job to teach kids ALL aspects of life, the good and the bad; so as to prepare them for the future.

As a parent the most we can hope for is that we prepared our kids for this cold cruel technological world the best way we can. That includes teaching them strong morals and values, then you have to trust that they will use what they have learned from you when faced with decisions. I have faith you will do fine, if not you wouldn't be willing to ask questions and take advice.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. My grandmother lived through World War 1 and World War 2. My mother was born just before World War 2. Technology has advanced a lot since those days. I first tried out using a computer when I was 16. I was 10 when I first saw a video recorder.

My oldest son is 14 years old. He doesn't know his times tables off by heart like we did when we were at school. He has had to revise spelling this summer holiday. A computer has a spell checker. He has a computer, a laptop, a play station and a Nintendo. My toddler son likes to watch television but I am delighted he loves books even more. My daughter is 10 weeks old. I hope that she will grow up sensibly and happily.