Monday, March 16, 2009

Next generation isn't slacking

OK, I'm proud to admit it but my children are savvier about technology than me. IM, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora Radio, CraigsList... On every one of those my daughters beat me to the punch. No doubt, digital media is in the center of their lives. They embrace it while for me it's often an intrusion. So a typical parent might say, "they're wasting time and brain cells." Most of the time I'm typical, but recently I had to stand up and take notice.

Last month my 13 year-old daughter launched a website. She built it completely herself, signed up for Google AdWords and PayPal linked to her bank account, and immediately began taking orders. So while I was her age I delivered newspapers rain-or-shine to at best 95 houses in the local community; she's selling hand-painted baby gifts to all 50 states without ever having to put on a jacket. (Shameless plug, please visit Rainbows and Lollipops.)

Where does this all go next? I certainly don't know, yet I'm completely confident in who will be leading the charge.