"It was a Monday morning and we were running lateâagain. My two girls were wrestling on the floor as I tried to get a toothbrush in one of their mouths. Iâm sure I was yelling. Iâm sure they were yelling. Our typical morning routine (which now feels like a distant memory, to be honest) had dissolved into chaos, when suddenly spoke a calm, familiar, and disembodied female voice, âThis is your reminder,â it said, “bring a (robotic pause) stuffed animal to school today.â It was Alexa, talking to us through the Amazon Echo Dot we have sitting on our kitchen counter. The three of us collapsed on the floor laughing. Thanks to the reminder Iâd set for myself weeks earlier, I managed to get everyoneâs teeth brushed and we were out the door with a favorite stuffed animal tucked securely into my kindergartnerâs backpack.
At that moment, I recognized the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to help make my mornings a little easier. I have an Echo Dot in our kitchen and in our bedroom and an iPhone equipped with Siri. Some of my other friends swear by their Google Home. Beyond how I had been using my devicesâfor cooking timers, weather updates, and driving directionsâI started using Alexa and Siri to make elements of my parenting less stressful. Here are a few ways they help me.
1. All of the Timers
Timer use is wide-ranging in our house. When I tell my kids they have to turn off the TV in five minutes, I actually ask Alexa to set a timer for five minutes. Alexa acts as my objective third party, and my kids are less likely to push back. Plus it keeps me accountable. How many times have I said, “10 more minutes on the iPad,â only to get distracted and realize 30 (or more) minutes have passed. Since I started maximizing my Alexa timers, I also havenât left wet laundry in the washer overnight or been late to school drop off or pick up. Small victories.
2. Kids Entertainment
One of my great joys in life is a spontaneous kitchen dance party, And now my kids understand how to put in their own music requests so we can boogie down before dinner. Maybe youâve seen the viral video of an adorable two-year-old demanding Alexa play her “Baby Shark.”
Podcasts can also offer audio entertainment to spark your childâs imagination. Finding podcasts options for kids is easy with apps like Kids Listen, including selections broken out by different age groups. I have been recommended a few favorites for younger children, including:
- The Calm Kids Podcast:Â Mindfulness and relaxation for kids
- Ear Snacks: Musical exploration of the world
- Little Stories for Tiny People: Bedtime and anytime stories
I know Iâm not giving up reading books to my kids at bedtime to artificial intelligence since it is one of my other joys of motherhood, but I could imagine listening to some of these podcasts on long road trips as an alternative to screens (or screaming).
3. Settling Arguments
Since we’re on screaming, breaking up fights between siblings can be exhausting, âShe hit me first!â âShe spit at me!â âShe looked at me with a mean face!â Amazon has a free app for that too:Â Kids Court. Each of your children can tell Alexa their side of the story, and Alexa determines a verdict. Itâs mostly used for fun, but again, my kids somehow find it harder to argue with a verdict coming from someone other than their parent.
4. Modeling Manners
Sometimes I catch myself getting frustrated when my AI assistants arenât being helpful while Iâm trying to navigate somewhere new or using voice-to-text. As AI becomes more ubiquitous, I donât want to lose my humanity and basic decency when interacting with it (hello Westworld). Plus I want to set a good example for my children, so when Alexa or Siri do me a solid, I make sure to at least say thank you.
5. Broadcasting Reminders
Once my husband was trying to get ahold of me at home while my phone ringer was off. It wasnât a real emergency, but it was something urgent. Suddenly I heard our security system say âSystem Armed.â My husband had used the security systemâs app to set our alarm because he knew I would hear it. While it worked to get my attention, it also could have backfired into a panicked 911 call.
Like our beloved landline phones of the past, you can use Google Home and Alexa to broadcast reminders. You may remember the heartwarming Amazon commercial where a new mom leaves her partner home with the baby for the first time and reminders echo throughout the house all day, including Alexaâs final reminder, âIâm reminding you, Laura loves you and youâre doing a great job.â Showing how artificial intelligence can even help us practice a little gratitude.
6. Answering Random and Existential Questions
A friend of mine had just set up her Alexa and upon hearing the voice for the first time, her toddler gasped and asked, âIs that Jesus?â Posing random and deep questions to Alexa has also become a habit of my inquisitive 6-year-old, like âWhat happened to the dinosaurs?” “How are babies made?” and “What happens after we die?” Spoiler alert: Alexa gives great detail on the dinosaurs, keeps the origin of babies brief, but even Alexa canât answer that last one. My kids will still need me to help them understand the questions that don’t have easy answers.
This article was originally published on May 3, 2019 and has been updated for timeliness.
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