Yay Google is 20 years old today and I am personally celebrating how google helps parents. You might remember life before google or have to google how was life before google (literally). I personally know that google has been a huge help to me as a mum. Let me count the ways.
Google as a New Mum personal Assistant
When i became a new mum google was what i turned to when i wanted to learn about the biggest role of my life – being a parent. It became cemented as my lifelong personal assistant when I had some arguments discussions with my mum and mum in law about breastfeeding. See I had decided to go exclusive with breastfeeding; the doctors had advised me there was no need to give the baby any water. Breastmilk is enough for the baby during the exclusive breastfeeding stage. Of course my darling mums could not understand this new age thinking. Thanks to google, I was able to find good information on this matter and win. When I had my second child, I used google for so many things including finding a school for my older child. This was when i noticed the gap in information for a mum in Lagos and Nigeria, and this is how the idea of LagosMums was born! So thank you google – you definitely helped a new mum out!
Google as Chef
If I want to try out any new recipe i simply google it. There is no recipe yet to date that i have looked for and didn’t find some variations. Sometimes i combine several recipes to come up with my unique one. Recently when I couldn’t find white sauce in Lagos to make lasagna, I googled alternatives to white sauce and voila. I also love all the Nigerian recipes with a twist thanks to sites like Dooney’s kitchen. This all led me to start the recipe category on LagosMums as well. [Get your meal timetable here]
Google for Homework
There are several times I have to use google to brush up some skills to help the children with homework. No one ever thinks that after learning BODMAS in primary school you will need it decades later to help your own child with homework. The only challenge is that they don’t call it BODMAS again to confuse parents some more. I can ahem be impatient when teaching so thank to google, we can learn new concepts together. When they ask you anything and you don’t know; don’t feel bad or try and form superstar – simply google it as my son says. He started saying this to me from 5!
Google as medical advisor
How many times have you used google to check up a certain symptom or illness to get some tips. One example is what to do when a child has a high fever and when to call your doctor (who else has used this search?). Google gives some assurance in that moment when you need some help especially as a first time mum. Of course google should never replace visiting your doctor but it sometimes helps you understand a particular symptom better.
Google as Entertainer
Google is great for finding any kind of entertainment or How-To’s online. You are bored use google to find out what is happening around you, summer holidays? use google to find some activities to keep the kids busy. What about when you need to make a horse face for a school arts project? use google to find out how to make it! The list for entertainment is endless. Of course YouTube is the ultimate when it comes to watching videos on any topic, my kids even have favorite youtubers!Â
Google for Learning
There is nothing you cannot learn online it is all literally a google away. The children can learn new topics, both for school and other fun learning. I have gone back for a degree all online. The opportunities to learn are endless and many of them are free, these includes ebooks, videos, webinars, blog articles, online courses, white papers, the list is endless really. [Read: Mums Upgrade Your Skills]
Google for shopping
No more need to get into the car and drive all over Lagos looking for a particular item. Thanks to google i can search for what i need before i decide where i am buying it from. I use google to research the product, read reviews, compare prices all before i decide what i am buying and then from where. When I travel, I use Amazon to order almost all our back to school needs and some items now ship to Nigeria.
These are just some of the ways I use google and I am sure you do too. Google has been a major part of my parenting journey! It also led me to start my business and keeps growing thanks to google. As Google is 20 today we say happy birthday google and ask that you keep making the internet a safe place for our children and future generations.
