Parenting for the Future
My experience at SXSW 2025
“Who’s that?” My wife asked our 18-month-old son as they approached the open garage where I stood waiting.
He paused for a moment, his cheeks red from playing outside (and according to wife, throwing a tantrum when it was time to leave the park and come home), before running over to me with his arms outstretched. After a sweet hug, he looked around the garage and signed for ball, milk, and water, already over and beyond the fact it had been over a week since he last saw me. Playtime and sustenance — his priorities had not changed in my absence.
I didn’t want to leave my family, but when my wife saw the email from Meta inviting me to attend SXSW, she said we were cancelling everything in my schedule and I was going to that festival.
It would be a week of events, networking, panels, showings, concerts, and more. It would also be a week without seeing my wife or son, which troubled me, but my wife’s encouragement made it easier to consider.
(Side note: Shout out to my wife for being awesome.)
She told me it was an unmissable opportunity to meet people and learn, and I had to go. She was absolutely right, but the key takeaway from the week is how it impacted me as a father.
After listening to various presentations and panels on technological advances, watching a flying car demonstration (yes, flying car), learning about the application of augmented reality through the Meta Glasses, and hearing notable figures like Mark Cuban highlight the importance of exploring AI, I felt a weight of responsibility.
The world is changing faster than we can understand, and I have a child I need to prepare for a future I can’t completely imagine.
Despite living in suburbia, we’ve taken what many people consider to be an earthy approach to parenthood, and living in harmony with the natural world is something my wife and I prioritize. Yet, we also understand that the world of technology is not going anywhere, and it’s important we teach our son balance as we adapt to the changing world with him.
My goal is for him to understand that technology is a tool we can use with discipline and moderation to improve our lives and the world around us, or it can be a vice that traps us. So, as I teach him about wild plants and helping things grow, I’ll also teach him about using technology with clear intentions and boundaries so he can engage in the modern world he lives in.
Modern parents face challenges unlike parents of previous generations, and there’s no instruction manual for what we’re experiencing. If you’re nurturing the next generation, give yourself some credit for doing something that’s never been done before. I believe that if we stay grounded in natural practices while being openminded toward technological advances, we can set our children up for success.
We don’t have to fight the upcoming technology. By engaging with it intentionally, we can steer our children and our future into a direction of growth.
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Marcus, there is no doubt that we cannot completely ignore the impact technology has and will continue to have in our lives, and above all, our children's lives. My husband and I have always tried to be the best example to our two daughters (now 17 and 20), who grew up in an extremely alternative way (semi nomad, roadschooled, homeschooled, and unschooled, lots of travel in Europe and the Americas). We have always focused on instilling in them the importance of nature, core values (including creativity), as well as a different type of success. The thing that made my husband and I doubt through the years is whether or not we are teaching our girls something that no longer has importance in this life. We too have tried to provide a balance and I believe this is so fundamental. As parents, we obviously influence our children, and we make choices for them. It is essential that they be exposed to different environments and lifestyles so that they are more prepared to choose for themselves when ready. How can our children grow up joyful, with a strong sense of self in a world that is stripping all of us of our identity? It is so challenging. The only possibility is that they personally experience situations that make them feel joyful and safe and situations that don't. We create the base so they know they can choose. If we resist technology altogether they are likely to rebel. If we don't expose them to a more natural way of life, they are likely to be taken over by the modern world completely. Being a parent nowadays is complicated. As Leo Buscaglia used to say, you do your best knowing that at some point all you can do is close your eyes, cross your fingers, and pray. Thank you Marcus. And best wishes with your book.
Thanks for the insight Marcus. I feel this as a mom too. I am trying to understand and teach how spirit exists in it all, it is all to be respected.