In celebration of Father’s Day, we are sharing this thoughtful reflection from Mike Whitaker – “Whit” – on what it means to stay engaged with our children through the challenges and uncertainties of a rapidly changing world. Parenting does not require us to be experts in every new technology or trend our children encounter, but it does ask us to stay present, curious, and connected. In this piece, Whit explores how difficult conversations about AI and technology can become opportunities for trust, understanding, and growth within families. His perspective is a meaningful reminder that showing up – even when we feel unsure or uncomfortable – is one of the most important things parents, and especially fathers and father figures, can do for their children.
Countering the two ways parents disappear from hard conversations about AI (and other tech).
Author: Michael Whitaker. Shared with permission.
A few weeks ago, I ran a workshop to help ~15 parents build their family playbooks for navigating AI. The attendees were gathered around tables and most faced the front. But as the presentation started, I noticed one dad in the back of the room sitting differently than the others. He was angled a quarter turn away.
He wasn’t on his phone, and it didn’t feel rude, but something was off. His wife and middle-school daughter sat next to him, paying attention. He was there, but also not fully there.
The presentation was an updated version of the one CU Professor Bobby Hodgkinson and I gave in November including perspectives on how AI is showing up in classrooms and the three AI conversations every family needs to have this year:
- AI as a study buddy
- Your friend is an algorithm
- Seeing is no longer believing
When we opened for questions at the end, the dad raised his hand and stood up.
“I’m anti-AI,” he said. “I’m very anti-AI. And now I understand why I need to talk to my kid about AI regularly, and how to do it. Thank you.”
Then he walked up to the front and shook my hand.
Read full article: https://mikewhitaker1.substack.com/p/the-dad-in-the-back-of-the-room
Subscribe to Whit’s substack. Click here.
Learn more about Whit’s recently published book, Family Throughlines.
Listen to Whit’s interview with Dr. Shelly Mahon on Parenting Well Podcast.
Listen to Whit’s recent interview on The Show Up Dad Podcast.