It was a usual day in the house with the kids. My daughter, who sometimes tends to be eclectic, was having a field day with the gadgets in the house. The little ninja was busy on his bike. I was in my own world with my nose cancellation enabled headset watching Seal TEAM taking intermittent moments to watch over them.

Then my daughter made a very opportune disruption. He came to me holding a VHS tape (the Flintstones) and asked a rather uncanny question.

“Dad, how does this one work?”

We have evolved in generations of storage media for entertainment. From VHS to VCD to DVD to BluRay. For the digital natives, this is dinosaur age! I mean why don’t you just watch YouTube?

Digital, and I am cautious not to invoke debate from my professional critics as this is not a professional treatise but just a daddy chronicle, has become a buzz even in our homes. Most homes now have smart TVs and WiFi. The privileged children now have access to the internet for edutainment.

It got me thinking. Are we at a risk of parenting children who are not creatives? That they cannot use their hands to create stuff that educates them while having fun at it?

How much screen time is healthy? I am sure there are scientific studies that castigate parents for their liberalism on over indulgence on the digital screens by children.

So this Christmas season I want to try something. Buy those mega LEGO kits and just see how much we can do together with the screens off … so help me GOD! For I know the biggest change is me ….

While at it – this digital thingy – these 3 nuggets will come in handy:

• It’s okay to have flashy escapades with your family. But you don’t have to flash on social media with photos Geo-Tagged. That’s a security risk not just to you, but even your property. Na tief man will know you not at home and can easily lay a break-in.

• Watch over what the kids do on the gadgets. The free apps come as booby traps. Before too long, your child will be exposed to inappropriate content.

• Help your child stay safe on the digital space. Help them know when an app is soliciting for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as what is your name, where do you stay, where do you go to school, who is your best friend etc.

Enjoy the festive season. It is a season to show some love and share some love with the less privileged.