Table of Contents
As part of my Simply Living series, I have been taking a look around, to see how the digital world has made our lives simpler or to show that in some instances it has made it just that much harder.
Take school stuff for example, I recall when my girls were younger, let’ s not count the numbers, but it is a few years back now.
If they needed a school dinner I would send in the money in an envelope,
If they were going on a school trip, a cheque or money in an envelope with their name clearly marked at the front.
When they joined the afterschool club, I would pay monthly with believe it or not money.
There was never a problem and guess what it worked for me.
Maybe it was a pain for the school having to count the money and get it to the bank but life was easy and I was able to pay easily as we went along .
My children are all growed up as they say in Rugrats ( do they still have that show on or is that showing my age?)
I am out of the world of school, homework and school trips but this does not mean I am out of touch.
My friend was telling me how it was changed for mums of today. Her daughter attends an afterschool club at the school. The only way to book her child into the club is to pay for this online in advance.
This means you have to have an account and a password.
One day she needed to book her daughter into the club for an extra day. She went online on the morning to do this but was locked out.
She could not book on line.
In a panic as she knew she had other work commitments and no childcare, she went into the school office and spoke to the staff.
She explained the problem that morning and offered cash which was of course not accepted.
They agreed to place her daughters name down on the list for that day whilst she sorted out her account online and paid.
She had no luck as the day progressed and with the pressures she had not managed to make the online booking.
At 3.30 pm she received a call from the school telling her her child had not been picked up.
She explained that her child should have gone into the afterschool club.
Sorry they said her name is not on the list, no money showing on line means no place at the afterschool club.
They wanted her to come immediately to fetch her daughter.
Let’ s just say she was mad. Real mad.
But this is a simple example of what a computer says no society we live in.
It has become that much harder to manage simple arrangements like this.
All it takes is the online system to be down or for you to lose your password and it can impact on a little girl.
Does the internet make mums life that much easier?
What have your experiences been with using technology and your child?
How many times have you come a cropper with it?
I believe that technology has a place in our world but it does not need to take over our lives.
As part of my quest in creating a digital lifestyle, I also want to make sure we keep it in balance and believe that we can live simply in the digital world.
When there are system errors which can impact on a child that is when the real world needs to step in.
How easy it would be for that school to look at the child in front of them and realise that mum had come in and made arrangements?
Let’ s stop and think people, we are humans living in a digital world.
It doesn’ t have to be complicated unless we make it.
The Digital Mum spreading the word about the Digital Lifestyle
Whilst helping you find your calm in the digital noise
So you can simply live your digital life
Because there is another way!
