The Headache That is Teaching Your Parents Technology

My parents grew up in a time when people wrote each other letter, used landline telephones and generally had to interact with other people to get goods and services. When my brother and I were growing up we didn't really teach our parents how to use the home computer. It wasn't that we weren't willing to teach them (we really didn't want to) but they didn't show any interest in using the latest technology. Now with smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, basically anything with a microchip in it, my parents have no choice but to learn how to use them. 

I bought my mom a Nexus 7 tablet last Christmas because she genuinely wanted one. She wanted to listen to music, and some how knew about Pandora. Okay cool. I knew there was going to be a large learning curve but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. My mother, a woman who never used a desktop computer, didn't know how to turn on the thing. I sat with down with her and showed her all the basic functions: On/Off button, Volume, Touch Screen Interface, Lock Screen, and finally Apps. Teaching her how to properly swipe the screen to unlock the tablet was the first of many hurdles. I was amazed that she couldn't swipe to unlock the screen, a quickly grew agitated. Finally after many MANY tries she unlocks and makes it to the home screen. Awesome mom you did it, many babies have mastered this long before they could even walk, talk, or wipe their own ass, CONGRATULATIONS! Up next, how to use Pandora. Surprisingly, she was quick to learn the interface. So I padded myself on the back and called it a day. The next day I got a phone call, the tablet wasn't working anymore, so as a good son I went over to check out what the problem was. The battery was dead, I neglected to tell my mom that it needed to be charged everyday. I asked her if she needed any help with the tablet and we went over the basic functions again. She was getting better but still only really knew how to use Pandora. I was glad she at least knew how to use the Pandora app, the one thing she wanted to tablet for.

One year later, she only knows two things: On/Off button and Pandora, I consider that a success. 

UP NEXT: This Christmas I'm teaching her how to use a Smart TV :/