When Irene’s oldest son, Bryce, read her recent post Not The Beaver’s Mom, he decided to share his thoughts on “raising” his middle-aged parents by keeping them up-to-date with the latest technology.

When you’re a child, you rely on your parents to teach you every skill you lack.  In early childhood this includes everything from feeding yourself  to using the bathroom.  As you grow up, and your paths diverge, so do your skill sets.  Before you realize it, you’re suddenly teaching your aging parents skills so that they don’t have to rely on you as much. It’s good that they learn some independence, right?

One such skill is how to use the latest smart device.

I know that Amazon’s Echo has a plethora of useful commands to assist you, similar to how Mickey commands the mops in Fantasia.  But just like in the movie, not knowing the power you wield can lead to disaster.

I recently tried to set up motion detectors in the living room of my parent’s house so that they wouldn’t have to fumble in the dark to find a light when they woke up before the sun rose.  However, my best intentions were rewarded with the opposite expected behavior from my dad.  He turned the motion detector to face the wall so that he could still control which lights were on by using (gasp) a switch.

Instead of trying to train my father to rely on the motion detector, I experimented with a variety of controls until I found the right combination where he was excited to use the smart home features I was introducing to him.  And I hit a home run with Mom in the basement by repurposing the motion detector to turn on the basement lights that were traditionally controlled by fumbling for a pull string in the dark.  When it comes to baby boomers, I’ve learned that isn’t about teaching them new skills as much as showing them the benefits of the new approach.

One area of technology that they firmly have adopted (and refused to let go) is the use of their iPads and iPhones.  I know I was an early adopter, and I was able to get them on the train as it was still picking up speed out of the station.

Now they are totally reliant on their Apple gadgets.  This not only helps me by giving them things with which to entertain themselves, but by making them adopt the same devices and services as I do. That makes it easy for me to guide them on operating these Space-Aged gizmos.  Just as I can call up my Dad to troubleshoot my air conditioning, he can just as easily FaceTime me and get step-by-step instructions on how to watch the Weather Channel on TV and browse www.theweatherchannel.com simultaneously on his iPad.  You have to fact check right?

Now comes the part of this tale where I’ve taken a risk.  Mom has been clamoring for a dual lens iPhone ever since she saw the photos I’ve taken with mine featuring the bokeh effect. You know, those pictures where the subject is crystal clear, but the background is blurred and oftentimes balls of light? That’s the bokeh effect.

She has waited patiently for 2 years now, and even though I might regret it, I recently ordered her an iPhone XS.  This new phone will arrive soon and just like Mickey in Fantasia, I may be drowned by waves and waves of questions about how to operate this new companion that’s missing the tried and true Home Button.

This change, including the disappearance of fingerprint authentication, has been the reason that I, an IT professional and Apple aficionado, have yet to jump on board with the future of smartphones.  But, hopefully, she’ll adapt to unlocking her phone with a smile and taking bokeh photos with minimal fuss. Just like I once had to adapt. When I had to actually sort the darks and lights when doing laundry.