My wife is currently 31 weeks pregnant, and in just a few weeks, I’ll have a bouncing baby boy here at my house. Needless to say, I’m scared out of my mind. But if I’m anything, it’s a planner, so today I started looking around for learning software for the kid. Sure, he won’t need it for another few years, but that’s why my wife calls me anal.
Of course, getting your kids a computer means that you’re going to have to purchase a computer or repurpose an old one. Naturally, I figured I’d use a Mac for the kiddo, so I started exploring my options. The obvious one is to take my current 20-inch iMac and format the drive a year or two from now so they can use it to play games or whatever, and replace it with a Mac Mini server for myself or maybe another iMac. Then when the 20-inch goes out, we replace and so on. I’d be in the “new every 2” plan for computers, and the kid would get the older system since it’s not critical they have the highest speed gear on the market.
This brought up another concern of mine, which is kids and the internet. I watch a lot of Law & Order: SVU, so needless to say, I’m a bit paranoid about those things. But I knew that Snow Leopard had parental controls built in, and a quick visit to System Preferences confirmed my suspicions. I knew that I could give my child a worry-free, safe environment to play and learn, and never have to worry about fixing viruses. It was peace of mind.
Being a parent isn’t going to be easy, but it is something that I’m looking forward to. And when the day comes to give my son a computer to use, I’m now confident in my decision to give him the best system he can get to suit all of his needs.
Naturally, that’s a Mac.
Congratulations! Worrying that you’ll make a good father means that you are a good father. Or something like that 🙂