Teaching Older Parents the Tech Tango!
Navigating the Digital Divide
We’ve all been there. You get a phone call or text from Mom or Dad, usually starting with “Sorry to bother you, but…” followed by a question about how to attach a photo to an email, access the webcam, or why the computer is running so slow. While we love our parents dearly, trying to teach them about technology can be a frustrating, tedious, and sometimes hilarious experience. Both sides struggle to have patience and understanding for the other. In this light-hearted blog post, we embark on a journey of tech tutoring, uncovering the comical frustrations shared by both teacher and student.
The Struggle is Real: Why it’s So Hard for Older Adults to Learn New Tech
As young people who have grown up with technology, learning new programs, apps, and gadgets comes naturally to us. But for older adults who did not have access to technology in their youth, these things can be intimidating and confusing. Some key reasons why older adults have trouble picking up tech skills include:
- Fear of breaking something or messing up the device
- Lack of confidence in their ability to learn
- Feeling overwhelmed by all the new options and features
- Preferring face-to-face communication over digital interaction
- Physical limitations like deteriorating eyesight or motor skills
- A belief that they are “too old” to learn new tech things
While it’s important to be patient, continuing to encourage your parents and provide support can go a long way. Which brings us to…
The Joys of Helping Them Learn: Patience and Celebrating Small Victories
When your parents do start to get the hang of something new – be sure to celebrate their achievement! Focus on positive reinforcement. Even small accomplishments deserve praise. Some ideas:
- Throwing a “You Sent Your First Text Message!” party
- Making a certificate for “Excellence in Emailing”
- Baking a “Congrats on Joining Facebook or Twitter!” cake
- Recording their tech tutorial session to laugh about later
- Rewarding progress with their favorite meal or dessert
Each lesson learned is a victory. Over time, introducing them to new technology will allow them to discover all the ways it can make life easier and more fulfilling. They might even end up schooling you on the latest apps and gadgets! Well, that might a stretch.
Key Tips to Make Tech Teaching Less Tedious
- Start with the basics and build gradually instead of overwhelming them
- Good luck! Start them off with something simple like how to change the font size or we’ll be here all day.
- Break each skill down step-by-step and let them go through it at their own pace
- I always try to explain things in car terms since my dad was a mechanic. Does. Not. Always. Work. Me: “Click the mouse button to start the engine.” Dad: “This dang computer doesn’t have an engine!”
- Write things down in a manual, checklist or with screenshots so they can refer back to it
- Just make sure you laminate it in BIG font and tape it to the computer monitor so they actually find it.
- Schedule regular sessions so they don’t forget what they’ve learned
- Like when grandma taught you piano lessons as a kid but you never practiced so you forgot everything week to week. Yikes, not the same lady who let you help bake cookies with her.
- Look for apps and programs designed for simplicity and ease of use
- LOL if these even exist! Even just logging in is an Olympic sport for them.
- Remind them repeatedly that they cannot break the device by touching the wrong thing!
- Deep breaths…patience…we’ll get through this lesson. One. Step. At. A. Time.
- Encourage them to use tech to connect with loved ones like video calls with grandkids
- This one they can handle! Adorable baby faces motivate them to figure it out real quick.
- Passwords!!!
- Do NOT use Pasword123 or the same password for everything. Take some time and explain the importance of this one! Learn how to use a password manager like Apple’s Keychain or Last Pass.
Making it Fun: Creative Ways to Keep Them Engaged
Look for creative ways to spice up your tech teaching and keep your parents engaged, like:
- Turning it into a game by competing to see who can perform a task the fastest
- Making silly prizes like “World’s Best Tech Trainee” trophies
- Finding apps that align with their hobbies, whether sudoku, cooking, sports, photography, or a blog.
- Seeing if their old colleagues want to have virtual meetups to motivate learning together
- Enlisting the grandkids for extra assistance and encouragement
Teaching Our Parents Tech is an Act of Love
At the end of the day, let’s face it – teaching our parents about technology is like embarking on an epic adventure! We’re armed with patience, ready to brave the wild and wacky world of gadgets with them. Why do we do it? Well, it’s all out of love! We want to make their lives easier, keep them connected to the digital realm, and unlock all the tech magic that awaits them!
It’s like taking them on a rollercoaster ride – there are moments of exhilaration and sheer terror! But hey, they raised us, and now it’s our turn to give back. We’re like their tech shepherds, guiding them through the digital wilderness, one app at a time!
With creativity and a dash of humor, we celebrate every little milestone together. When they send their first emoji-filled text, it’s like a victory parade! And the infamous “Reply All” button? It’s a comedy show we’ll never forget!
Sure, it can be agonizing at times – like when they accidentally video call us while they’re still in their PJs, or when their texts turn into Shakespearean poetry thanks to auto-correct! But through it all, we’re their loyal tech companions, and we’ll laugh together through the mishaps.
Introducing older generations to technology isn’t just rewarding; it’s an emotional rollercoaster – the good kind, and the slightly hair-raising kind too! So, with love in our hearts, and a smile on our faces, we’ll keep teaching, learning, and laughing together, because the joy of tech knows no bounds!
On a serious note, there is a whole other side of tech (hackers, scammers, phishing, and identity theft), that you should educate yourself about. Learn more here!
Real well written. As a member of the OLDER group we appreciate all that you youngsters do for us. I especially liked the analogy of your father’s trying to understand the technology and comparing it in automotive terms. Keep up the good work!