NEWSFLASH!!
MamaBear has been inspired!
Yes indeedy….Over at Rants from MommyLand, she came across gloriously insightful posts like:
- Domestic enemies of the single mom
- Domestic enemies of the ADHD mom
- Domestic enemies of the small town mom
and Mamabear was blindsided by how utterly useful they proved to be!
(note – you should definitely mosey on over there and sign up for everything offered – blog feed, Twitter and Facebook Fan Page!)
So she figured…creating a similar yet different rant series for her target audience (successful parenting for moms and dads!) would be a nifty thing indeed!
Without any further ado, allow me to present….
RANT – Parenting Enemies of the Non-Geek Mom and Dad
Public Enemy #5 – Technically savvy offspring
Nowdays, you'd think that all babies are born knowing they can access their parent's Facebook pages and Twitter stream from within utero. After all, what are some of the more, ahem, baby-slanted popular iPhone apps?
What's next, iPhone for Toilet Training?
Why of course!
I Love Potty Training has glorious graphics like:
But it doesn't stop there, y'know.
By the time your modern, hip offspring have started preschool, they're inundated with Reader Rabbit, Math Blasters, Pajama Sam, and all sorts of educational goodies!
Which means that by the time they hit grammar school, they can probably hack your Facebook account, change your gender and declare that you're a member of the Flat Earth Society in no time, well….flat.
Next, you have to deal with:
Public Enemy #4 – Technically savvy playdate parents
You know what I mean, right?
Those parents who tell you, "oh! Set up an event on your Google calendar for our next playdate!" and you're left wondering,
"Gee, how can you write on your monitor? Won't that break it?"
But it gets much worse than that.
Technically savvy playdate parents will send you a direct link to Google Maps and not take into account said link might be broken up in transition, leading you to the Black Hole Of Page Not Found when you try to access it.
And don't forget when the TSPP tell you about how they use MeetUp to schedule PTA meetings and why on earth aren't you yet a member?
You've just mastered the art of checking your email; now they want you to add yet another destination you'll hardly ever use…just to make their lives easier?
Yeah, what I said.
From there, you can move to:
Public Enemy #3 – Online coupons
You know that printed coupons save you big huge bunches of money.
But then you hear about all these deal sites for mommies…but none of your non-geek mommy friends know how to find them!
And you're reminded of your highschool years where *everyone else* knew about the "happenin' senior party" place to hang out at…but nobody would tell you it to your face because god forbid…you might show up and really just detract from the scenery.
Sigh….MamaBear *really* hears you about that!
Nifty neat mom coupon places online include:
But even more insidious, you never learn about insiders tricks like search in Google Images for coupons like
Change the month and year to make it appropriate, mind you….but such searches never even occur to you….
Unless your 7 year old casually mentions that Daisy's Geek Mom got a swell deal at Toys R Us for her brand new Moon-Launch Spaceship.
The next public enemy of the non-geek Mom and Dad is
Public Enemy #2 – Digital Cameras And Computers
You know you can get pictures from your camera to your computer.
- But nobody ever explained how you fit that camera inside your computer.
- Nor how you can take out the memory card and insert it *into* your computer.
- Heck, you never even realized it had removable pieces!
And when you finally do ask your 7 year old how it's done, you're met with a sympathetic grieving gaze that simply screams out,
It's soooo obvious mommy!
Yeah, to you, kid, who has been programming iPhones since in utero. Sure.
Not to me.
Sigh.
If that's happened to you, not to fear, for the following might shed some light:
- How to Send Pictures From Your Camera Phone to Your Computer
- How do you upload photos to a computer?
Yep, real easy.
So is taming the sock-eating laundry monster that lives in every washing machine.
And the final public enemy to non-geek moms and dads is:
Public Enemy #1 – The Whole Freakin' World In General
Want to learn more about organizations?
- Visit their website!
Want to see what day school ends?
- Check the school website calendar!
Want to see if a movie is family-friendly?
- Read the parent-inspired online reviews!
My gosh, you simply cannot get away from the geekiness to which the parenting world is moving!
But there is hope…
You can just tell your geek surroundings:
"Whatever you say….but remember, I *am* Mommy, hear me roar!"
'Nuff said. 🙂
Parent Powerfully,
— MamaBear
