So Why Did I Start the IT mum?

So those that know me know that I am a passionate person. I dive into projects and like to help out. I have started a few blogs over the years and have been involved in numerous community projects, primarily trying my hand at anything. I recently went through a period in my life where I had to sit back and ask myself who am I and what am I doing? This process wasn’t easy, and I didn’t expect to have to overhaul my life, it just was not on my to-do list after having my second child. Circumstances beyond my control forced me to make changes, and it was time to get some control back in my life.

So I took stock of what I loved and where my passion was. My beautiful children inspire me every day. They encourage me to learn, to be better, to try harder, to be stronger, and to protect them. I also love to teach, to educate and to inspire others to do more, to be better. So I took these passions and my varied experiences in technology and computers and came up with an idea.

I love writing, I love sharing experiences to help others, and I found that there are many Mums struggling to grasp Information Technology and all the various subjects it encompasses. From helping your kids to learning a new skill or returning to work, I want to help you learn the big world of IT. I am not here to train you to be some all time great programmer or anything like that, I want to help you be comfortable with technology, to take away the confusion and overwhelm!

I also want to help parents tackle the issue of cyberbullying with their children, from both angles: those being bullied and those doing the bullying – because at the end of the day both are critical. I keep reading again and again about children being affected by cyber bullying I thought “there has to be something I can do!”, and I realised there is. There are so many mums (well parents) out there that are lost in this crazy digital world in which we live. They want to give their children with the greatest gadgets, so that they aren’t left out, so they fit in, and so they can be online with their friends. So many parents out there would not have any idea about exactly what their children get up to online.

When I read stories about a teen girl who committed suicide after being gang-raped and it arranged by two other girls, I felt sickened. When I read about a teen boy committing suicide due to his girlfriend pretending to kill herself, I was shocked. I could list off countless other stories, but I think you get the picture. My heart goes out to al the victims and their families. But these stories also got me thinking, where are the parents when all these things are going on? Now I am not talking about victim blaming here; it is not their fault this happened. Where are the parents of the perpetrators? Do they realise what their children are doing online? Surely they wouldn’t condone such behaviour in front of their face? How can they let their kids do this?

We could bury our heads in the sand and ignore the issue, hoping they grow up. Or we could start doing something about it. In today’s society, you need to have digital literacy (the ability to be able to use a computer and navigate the internet). You need to understand what a computer is, how the internet works and how your kids use it. How do we expect our children to use it properly if a lot of parents don’t know how? Now I am not here to say ban your kids from ever using the internet (that’s the burying your head in the sand approach). No, I am here to help you learn, to understand, to start the conversation.

If this helps save one life, then it is worth it.

In the meantime, I can help a lot of mums out there with other technology related questions, training to help them get back into the workforce, start their own business, or just genuinely wanting to learn more about computers.

If you would like to be a part of this journey and learn more about IT (computers, the internet, software, online security, and many more subjects!) then please subscribe on the right and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

If you have any topics you would like me to cover please leave a comment below or contact me!