Generation Z Babies and Technology

Those born between 1995 (loosely, some say it starts at the year 2000) and now are defined as Generation Z, primarily the children of Millennials. They will be the first generation in history to be "digital natives", having had exposure and hyper-connectivity to technology from infancy. 

There are tons of products on the market that expose babies and toddlers to various technology. There are a plethora of apps for mobile devices and tablets geared specifically to our littles. iPhones are incorporated into toys to engage developing minds. We have the ability to FaceTime and Skype with relatives and friends who can't see our babies grow on a regular basis.  And if you have an older Gen. Z child they are probably already subscribing to YouTube channels, use social media abundantly, and unfortunately probably prefer socializing online rather than in real life. Most of Generation Z babies have had a digital presence since before birth, as sonogram photos and 3-D ultrasounds are posted on social media. There are many parents who create Facebook pages for their children from birth. As stated in the JWT Intelligence study, Generation Z babies are digital in their DNA. 

I think about how connected I am and wonder how much more it will be amplified for my kids. When will they start asking for a smart phone? How old will they be when they create their first social media accounts? Will they make fun of my use of Instagram and Facebook, much how I chuckle at the fact that my mom still has her original AOL account? It's a daunting task to try and speculate how and what technology will be in ten years time. It changes so rapidly and our culture is centered heavily on "the now" and what is relevant literally at the moment. 

I am a firm believer in the cliche, "everything in moderation", which I plan to implement with technology for as long as I can with my kids. Right now my girls are 10 months old and don't really have all that much screen time. We FaceTime with family and friends quite often, but other than that try to engage them in other activities. I guess I am trying to "de-tech" them for as long as possible because I know what lies ahead in the future. Not that it's a complete dismal future. I just want my kids to be able to put down their devices and experience life with their eyes, not through a lens to post a video. Or missing the key point because they were too busy texting about it to pay attention. I'm hoping my style of parenting and the values I instill in my girls will help shape them into well-rounded individuals who, as digital natives can still experience the world from a low-tech perspective and take meaning from it.

Cool links for more on Generation Z:

JWT Intelligence Gen Z: Digital in their DNA

The Curve Report: What can we expect from Generation Z?

ASTD: Forget Gen. Y. Get ready for Gen. Z

Wiki: Generation Z

Welcome, Morgan!

I wanted to take the time to introduce Morgan, the newest writer here at Millennial Mother! We are so excited to have her contribute to this collective. She has so many great ideas and I cannot wait for you guys to see what she has to share. Stay tuned for her upcoming posts! You can visit her blog at www.bartelchronicles.com and show her some love.

Ball Pit Beauty Sleep

For the last 6 months nap time has been a battle and bedtime an all out war. Once my now one year old son, London started teething my bed became a bit more full. My poor husband has been a total champ in letting nugget crash in our bed. While we love snuggling with our little man we've been DYING to finally regain our privacy, if you know what I mean, *wink wink*, moms have needs, lol.

London refuses to nap anywhere but in Mommy's arms and he can't sleep for the night unless one parent is literally within arms reach. It's flat out precious that he loves loving on us so much, but the time has come. My husband and I have tried so many different methods to get him to sleep in his crib by himself. No success has been found. Then bada bing bada boom something has changed. Last night our wee man slept practically the entire night in his crib without waking up. Hallelujah! I woke up so refreshed and my shoulders didn't hurt from the usual sleeping arrangement.

As if we weren't beyond impressed with London's big boy venture he blew our mind yet again this evening. Instead of crawling over to me, tugging at my pant leg and letting out an Oscar worthy sigh of desperation he took care of this whole napping thing all on his own. He fell asleep while playing with his toys...correction: he fell asleep hanging half out of his ball pit.

I laughed so hard when I saw him like this. Knowing his history of throwing epic temper tantrums makes this small parent win so much more impressive. I know I should be pumped that London is beginning to nap/sleep solo, but I can't help but feel like my baby is slipping away. Yes, I know a one year old is technically a toddler but I'm latching onto that "baby" title for as long as I can. I look at my sweet boy passed out cold like this and think "this isn't right" and "he's supposed to be sleeping in my arms with his head against my chest". Is it wrong that I am already missing my snuggle buddy? Maybe I'll revert to the way things were and let London sleep with us until his hearts content. Okay that's not happening but a mom can dream right? I know it's time he's doing this on his own. I know he should have been doing this for a long time now. I know we'll adapt. Frankly, I don't want to anymore. Letting babies grow up is tough stuff.

While I'm pretty tempted to scoop up London and hold him tight I know these are those moments that both of us will mature. Although I'm a bit mopey I find myself thinking he is pretty darn cute sleeping like this especially with a ball in hand



Nobody said parenting was easy. In my defense nobody told me that I would become totally irrational and actually consider squeezing into my sons crib for a slumber party. Oh no! I'm becoming "THAT" mom. This mommy needs a margarita...PRONTO!

Morgan B. is a stay at home mom to her one year old son who has a life threatening genetic disorder. She enjoys musical theater, car karaoke, diet dr. pepper and rainy days. Most of her days are spent watching Yo Gabba Gabba over and over and over. When she's not doing the typical stay at home mom stuff she is traveling with her husband and son. They call the great state of Oklahoma home.

You can get a glimpse of Morgan's day to day life by following her on Instagram @morganlanebartel
& by visiting her blog at bartelchronicles.com

I Grow Twins. What's Your Superpower?

I only know what it's like to have twins. I have no other experience. When people find out I have twins they say things like, "I wish I had twins," or "I can't imagine having twins". I only know double. Having a singleton is such a foreign concept to me. I didn't want to have twins. It was never, ever anything I even thought of. Not even once, even though multiples run in my family (which they say it is not genetic, but I seriously have a hard time believing that with how often it has occurred on my family tree). I guess I believed the whole "It skips a generation" thing or maybe never thought it would happen to me. But it did.

I remember the day we found out there was more than one bun in the oven. My OB had an intern working with her and she muttered under her breath that she thought she saw 2 during my second ultrasound. The images weren't really all that clear because I think I was only 8 weeks and it was just too hard to tell and looking back on my first ultrasound pics the girls were directly on top of one another so it looked like one big baby. I honestly think my doctor did not want to admit she didn't catch it on my first sonogram, so she sent us to an ultrasound imaging specialist to make sure because having multiples is a big deal. Kevin and I were in shock and did not really know how to react. I was so anxious to find out what they would say. We both just kept saying, "This is crazy!".

I will never forget what the ultrasound tech said, "Do you see what I'm seeing here?". Of course we did!!! 2 little squirming tadpoles flipping around in my stomach. I was in complete shock. The tech said I could get dressed and she would print out the pictures for us. As soon as she walked out of the room and the door closed I started bawling. I was absolutely petrified. A normal gestation is one baby. And you get one crib, one car seat, and have one little bundle to spoil and spend all your time on. I had to rewire my brain to envision 2 cribs, 2 car seats, a double stroller, and 2 little ones vying for my attention. It was and has been the most overwhelming and scariest moment of my life. Even scary than my premature labor scares later in the pregnancy. Scarier than my C-Section. I will never forget the complete state of fear I was in at that moment.

But Kevin took me in such a warm embrace and kind of chuckled. He said it was a beautiful moment and that everything was going to be ok. He reassured me he was going to take care of me and our family. I pulled myself together, we walked out of there, and our journey as parents to multiples began. 

I won't lie, there have been many times we have wondered (and even wished on the horrible days) what it would be like to have a singleton. I tell myself things like it would be a piece of cake. Breastfeeding would have been 100 times easier and I would have been able to do it longer. We would have less expenses. I mean, the list could go on until my kids turn 18! But then I think things like if I just had one baby maybe it would have been the most difficult baby ever and posed even more challenges than my girls do. Who is to say, right?

Someone once told me my body was "magic enough to take some dude's load and make two beautiful babies of it, so I shouldn't waste time worrying about the little things". And I finally realize how freaking true that is. I am special. I am not suppose to know any other way. I have two amazing little humans who I am doing a pretty awesome job of raising with their Dad. Every day new challenges arise and these are helping to shape me into not only the parent, but woman I am. Having twins is teaching me certain things I am suppose to experience about life and about myself.  I would not have it any other way.