Parenting in the Video Age

Technology has changed the face of parenting in innumerable ways since the birth of my first child back in 1993. Everything from the toys we give our kids to play with to the way we get our parenting information has become so modern and technologically advanced. Shoot, you were cool if you had a beeper back then, ya'll.

The advent of digital photography was one major advancement in technology that made parenting a little nicer. Sure, I have photos of my oldest kid. But back then you had to buy the film, make sure you had spare rolls sitting around, hope and pray you got good shots, and wait wait wait for the film to be developed. Then if there was red eye you were just out of luck. How things have changed!

Another major advancement in recent years is in how we capture video. We had video cameras back then, but wow.....they were a major pain in the rear, not to mention expensive! The video camera I borrowed for my daughter's first birthday was the huge box type that recorded on a full size VHS tape. A few years later my grandparents bought a video camera that recorded on those mini VHS tapes, and I managed to get a few more videos. But that's about it. I have approximately three days of my daughter's childhood recorded on video.

Huge bummer.

Now I have a handheld digital video recorder and a digital camera that can record video. I record my younger kids at least once a week, doing something silly or cute. At the end of the year I compile all the clips on to a DVD and give them as Christmas gifts to the extended family. And every year as I watch the yearly recap I wish I had videos like that of my oldest. I wish I had a way to glance back and watch the first time she flew a kite. I wish I could watch her organizing her Pokemon cards again, or blowing out the candles on her fifth birthday cake.

I'm thankful for the few videos I do have of her....but man, I sure do wish I had more.

Keeping it real: Canon has released the PowerShot SX210 IS, which combines the ability to take great photos & also shoot high definition video. Canon and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and talk about what shooting video means to my family.