Ignorance Is Not Bliss In The Digital Age

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Parenting In The Digital Age - City Moms Blog Network

Parenting In The Digital Age

I will openly admit to getting overly excited for mundane things like organizational products at Staples, work-out cards on Pinterest, and really good natural or organic products for home and health.

Fellow shoppers at Costco were able to witness this excitement first-hand when I gleefully ran up to a mountain of sunscreen dressed in a label I know and love. I practically hugged the package before I dropped it into the cart, feeling gratified that I could not only cross sunscreen off my list but that I found a natural, mineral-based sunscreen to slather all over my children’s faces. It was a proud mom moment.

But, as many of you know, proud mom moments can quickly come to an abrupt end.

Mine did when I dropped my boys off at my aunt’s home for the day, and she took the sunscreen out of their bag. I half expected an “Oh, hey, nice sunscreen you environmentally-responsible, health-conscious super mom” but instead I got “Isn’t this the sunscreen that parents were using and their kids were still getting burned?”

Was it? Oh, crap. I think I remembered reading an article about the 10 worst sunscreens for kids. It’d be just my luck that I picked the #1 worst sunscreen and was using it all summer while other moms side-eyed me for putting my kids at risk for skin cancer.

As I started cursing at myself for spending $20 on the wrong kind of sunscreen, I also cursed this digital age we live in. Yep, I cursed its existence and the extra pressure it puts on us moms to be experts on all things kid-related.

Because it’s not just sunscreen. It’s car seats and plastic dishes and juice boxes…  It’s the hundreds of choices we have to make for our kids that keep us up at night, hoping and worrying that we made the right decision; if we provided our children with the absolute best. While I appreciate having a wealth of knowledge at my fingertips, it can also be overwhelming.  I think the pressure to find the best of everything by researching every single review available on the world wide web is mounting.

You see, ignorance is not bliss in this day and age of the internet, especially with social platforms for people to share the newest articles about quality and safety concerns.

Because it’s not just sunscreen. It’s car seats and plastic dishes and juice boxes… It’s the hundreds of choices we have to make for our kids that keep us up at night, hoping and worrying that we made the right decision

It is nearly impossible to play the “I didn’t know” card when the information is all out there. I feel pressure all the time to know stuff, because if I don’t, the person I’m talking to may not believe that I honestly don’t know or they’ll look at me like I have two heads for not knowing. Basically, I’ll be chastised for my ignorance. But, there are two realities:

  1. I don’t live under a rock. I am online multiple times each day, and sometimes I enjoy reading articles about kid’s products. It is in my (very type-A) nature to gather little bits of information, and therefore I cannot claim ignorance much of the time. I saw what you posted about sunscreen.
  2. I cannot be expected to know or remember every. single. thing. There’s A LOT of information out there, and while I try to remember what I consider to be the super-important stuff, like car seat safety, some things I miss, or forget, or it’s something I’ve deemed unworthy of packing into the memory banks. Also, the sunscreen reviews from last year have been updated, and the new formulation will not result in immediate sunburn. It appears our summer plans are back on!

So, please don’t give me dirty looks at the beach when you see me patting on this white substance that Jessica Alba herself endorses, or for giving my kids juice boxes that, fingers crossed, aren’t the kind that grow mold in the bottom.

I, like you, am just trying to do my best to stay informed, and ultimately keep my kids safe and healthy.

If you do see a Mom or Dad doing something that is really unsafe, try to find a kind way to discuss it. Preferably in person, not by passive-aggressively posting it to their Facebook wall. No one likes being judged or lectured because we are all trying so hard to do what’s best for our kids, even while maintaining a blissful level of ignorance.

Contributing Sister Site and Author

burlington-emily
About {Emily}

I am a native Vermonter, and even though the winters nearly drive me away each year, the beautiful landscape, supportive family, and wonderful communities keep us there! I’m also very fortunate to have a job that married my love of organization with my fascination for science. I work full-time as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Neurology department at the UVM Medical Center. As much as I love my job, our family is by far the greatest joy in my life. My husband and I have three boys. Being a mom has helped me to become more outgoing (who doesn’t love commiserating over lack of sleep and 4 year olds’ attitudes?!). I also love running, cooking, being outside with the boys hiking or hitting the beach, and reading anything from scientific articles to fashion magazines!