“Drone” parenting is becoming more and more prevalent as millennials have children in greater numbers. While previous generations took a “helicopter” stance on parenting (meaning they hovered over their children and micro-managed all aspects of their day), today’s millennial parents prefer to follow, rather than hover. Technology is the big differentiator here: it has shaped how millennial moms and dads think, act, and parent.
For millennials, “Today’s tech acts like a second set of eyes tracking their children’s every move, mood, and heartbeat,” according to internationally recognized millennial keynote speaker, Ryan Jenkins.
Jenkins goes on to say that the children of millennials are also growing up in a world of technology and are “tech-supervised at every turn of their life with wireless baby monitors, baby wearables, parenting apps, smart home cameras, and cell phone trackers.” And their parents wouldn’t have it any other way: “Millennials will collect data, optimize, and monitor their children from afar using a mobile device.”
Millennial parents want to be connected via technology to what their kids are doing and what is going on in their lives. This knowledge is especially applicable to schools. Here are some things to think about:
- Is your school prepared to handle the expectations of millennial parents?
- Can the parents of your school see grades, attendance, homework, and other information in real-time?
- Do you have a way to instantly inform parents in case of emergency?
- Have you implemented blended learning, flipped classroom instruction, or 1:1 device programs in your classrooms?
