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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • March 2017 PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom ADVERTISING & SALES Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION ELETTER & EVENTS Debra Caffrey Aidan's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL socialmedia@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's standards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2016 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY JULIE BROSNAN LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine Raising kids today is hard. Thankfully, there's always a new gadget designed to make our lives easier. We have robotic bouncing chairs to soothe babies, talk- ing toys, iPads and smartphones for easy access to everything, even harnesses to hook devices to the car seats! The downside is that it's replacing human connection. There are plenty of studies on how harmful technology may be to toddlers. Technology is replacing the simple play that teaches and develops basic motor, sensory and problem solving skills. It's enough to make you crazy and consume you with self-doubt. I can't be the only mom who worries they don't do enough to be an engaged parent. We're all guilty of relying on technology to soothe or engage a child. In my house, the biggest problem is that we love TV. Even after becoming a 100 per- cent TV streaming household, there's something to watch and now we have unlimited seasons of Sesame Street. We bought an Amazon Echo to help keep our 18-month old twin boys entertained with music. It has been great. Alexa helps keep the TV off and often starts kitchen dance parties. But did I mention the unlimited seasons of Sesame Street? Cookie Monster is kind of a big deal. I'm guilty of giving them my phone, too. At fi rst it was because they loved to look at pictures, but then suddenly there was a folder of "Babe Games." That's why my boys can open an app. Proud mom moment there….NOT! With all of the extreme views of parenting nowadays, I try to fi nd a balance that works for my family. I often think if the technology was around when my husband was a kid, then it's probably OK. And I always try to have an activity planned so we don't get stuck watching TV. We take them outside, we read a lot, or we play in their playroom. Yes, they know how to work the remote control and they can open an app and play games. I just have to blame that on the independent play time. ;-) Julie's twins, Chris and Finn, pictured above with their cousin Landon, are our cover models and featured in images throughout the March issue. Photos taken at Spotsylvania Towne Centre's KidZone by photographer, Stephanie Johnson, owner of BabySnap Photography. Toddlers & Technology letter to the readers