Blog

By trusted Pinwheel affiliate
Tessa Stuckey
Licensed Professional Counselor, Author & Speaker

There’s no denying that parenting today is much more difficult than previous generations before us. Parenting without today’s cultural obsession with technology is hard as it is, add in the world wide web and we have a new wave of parenting complications that is overwhelming, confusing and exhausting. However, working with teenagers and being a mother of four myself, I have found some really helpful and practical ways to build strong, resilient, independent kiddos while having technology in our home. It’s all about balance and boundaries. 

The same way that you teach your child table manners, you can teach them messaging etiquette. How can you help them develop good communication skills?

"Learning is fun!" Whether you believe this statement or not, we've all heard it! On a Pinwheel, we put this phrase to the test. If your child is learning vocabulary, geography, a new language, math, or even basic coding, we've got you covered. These five apps teach an array of topics that makes learning actually FUN this summer.  

Digital mastery means more than being able to tap around on a screen and make a device respond. Digital mastery is the skillset required to achieve Pinwheel's vision. That vision is a future in which human beings are the masters of technology, not captive to it. 

The book "Hold Onto Your Kids"  by Dr. Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate, contains so much wisdom about why parents are of such vital importance to kids. The book explains all that is lost when children learn about life primarily from other kids. Peer-orientation and parental attachment are so important to understand. As a parent, it took my breath away.

We got our dog a few years ago on Halloween. Named her Pumpkin. My daughter was 6-years-old, and immediately fell in love. I think that Pumpkin, our shelter mutt, is half German shepherd and half Muppet. She's a goofy, big dog.

Working from home while raising kids during a pandemic is challenging. Stop right here to take a breathe; you earned that and much more. The balance of parenting and working is hard to strike, but I'll always cling to the message that journalist Jennifer Griffin told me almost a decade ago.

My favorite memories growing up were the ones spent in nature. You could find me with dirty bare feet up some tree in just about every season. A couple days out of the week, Mama would take my siblings and I out on hiking trails or on walks in the park. We had a thing for venturing off the beaten path, making our way through the trees and little bits of open field to find all kinds of plants, rocks, and animals. Looking back on my childhood, I remember more joy and peace in those moments of soaking up nature than the memories spent indoors on my phone.

"When should I get my child a phone? At what age?"

Most of the answers you receive will tell you to wait as long as possible, until around 12 or 13. That's not a solution. Here’s why I say, “phone by 5th,” as long as it’s a healthy kids phone.

Teachers rely more and more on technology to support their students' growth. While smartphones offer a lot of great apps and sources of information, a typical device actively attempts to divert young minds into gaming or YouTube rabbit holes. 

But with Pinwheel, your child can enjoy all of the support, with none of the distractions.