We live in a technological age where it often seems that everything is coming at us all at once and information overload is the edge of a cliff we teeter on daily. My son, who is not even 3 years old, plays games on my iPad and has his own tablet – a Nabi. Watching him navigate the programs – some educational and some not – has led me to question whether it serves a greater good or harmful to his cognitive development.

I know he is learning hand-eye coordination and being exposed to a great many ideas, enhanced vocabulary and even the beginnings of critical thinking skills, but is there a hidden cost? Parenting magazine had an article entitled “The Right Technology for Kids at Every Age.”

The answer, according to the article’s author, Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe M.D., the American Academy of Pediatric’s tech expert, isn’t entirely helpful in settling the question. She believes, “there really is no ‘right’ age to allow our kids to dip a toe into the digital pond.”

O’Keeffe proclaims that thanks to technology we are free to open “the mind to an almost endless expanse of knowledge.” She went on to list different devices and apps and what your child should be able to do with such devices at different ages. The only warning I found was about cell phones emitting electromagnetic fields and a child’s developing skull being thinner than that of an adult. But doesn’t knowledge of any sort require a context, a level of maturity to process and value it? Can we integrate knowledge and use it without that gate? Should we even try? On that, O’Keefe is silent.

This complicated issue definitely involves balance – allowing your child some exposure while also making sure they have equal or more time to use their imaginations, read books and play games that do not require batteries.

Since a child’s brain is still developing, frequent exposure to devices and the like will alter their brain’s wiring. Where exposure to reading encourages our brains to be “focused and imaginative,” using the Internet and devices strengthens “our ability to scan information rapidly and efficiently.”

After all my research and questioning, I have come to the conclusion that there is something of a Catch-22 in the answer to my concern. For every benefit, like improved hand-eye coordination and reaction times there is a drawback, memory problems associated with scanning larger volumes of information, the overload I wondered at earlier on and the increased reliance on a process or device to do tasks that were once performed by the individual, who trades a measure of independence for the convenience and speed of performance.

What have I learned from all of this? My gut reaction was the correct one, and my plan of action is on course. I will allow my child to use my iPad but on a more limited basis, with attentive feedback and guidance from me to see to it that the pace and information are in line with his ability to manage, comprehend and place it in a healthy context. We will continue to encourage his imaginative play and reading to him as an equally valuable tool in his development. Or, as with most things, it’s about moderation, balance and applying ourselves seriously as parents, instead of letting technology babysit our children, become their role models and shapers in any meaningful way. Because it’s the job of technology to enrich our lives, not define them.

If I keep that as my endgame maybe I’ll never find myself a member of that family I observed recently at the Cracker Barrel, with both parents playing on their cellphones and their children glued to tablets, like strangers at an airport terminal, seated together out of necessity instead of choice. I laughed at the time, but considering it now I can’t say I still find it funny. We are social creatures, meant to connect with one other. The more things we put between us, between that intimate and human connection the more we lose sight of what and who we are. That begins with our children. We must guard them ourselves, teach them to use tools, not become the extension of one.

In other news, the Read a Classic, Watch a Classic film showing is tonight at 8 and since it will most likely rain (the forecast while I write this calls for 70 percent chance of rain) an alternate venue has been chosen just in case – the council chambers in city hall.

The Old Town Bay Minette Arts Council “Art Party” will be Saturday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. in Blackburn Park. This exciting event is the arts council’s gift to the community and will feature music, storytelling by Delores “the Barefooted Poet” Gibson, kid’s art projects, belly dancers and a butterfly release. Plus, there will be vendors selling food, arts, crafts and antiques. This event is a must!

Joanna Bailey is the director of the Bay Minette Public Library. She can be reached at baileyvolumes@gmail.com