85. Should We Use AI for Easier Parenting?

Wondering if AI could make parenting feel a bit easier?

Join me as we take a gentle look at how AI tools like ChatGPT might lend a hand in daily parenting moments. We’ll explore how AI can offer supportive ideas—whether it’s helping with potty training, managing screen time, or organizing family routines.

After listening, you'll learn:

• How AI can be used responsibly in parenting.
• The potential benefits of AI as a source of guidance.
• The boundaries to keep to make AI helpful, not harmful

Tune in to explore how AI could be a friendly addition to your parenting toolkit, bringing new possibilities while staying true to your values.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

You're listening to episode 85 of the Sustainable Parenting Podcast with me, flora McCormick, licensed therapist and parenting coach and early childhood mental health consultant. Today, we're asking the question should we use AI to make parenting easier? I have to say this is definitely something that marks us in a place in history Years from now. I'm sure I'll look back and think it was funny to even be asking this question for the first time. But let's dive in, as I've had parents start to ask me this question and I want to give you my answer. Hello and welcome to the Sustainable Parenting Podcast. Let me tell you, friend, this place is different. We fill that gap between gentle parenting and harsh discipline that's really missing to parent with kindness and firmness at the same time, and give you the exact steps to be able to parent in ways that are more realistic and effective and, for that reason, finally feel sustainable. Welcome.

Speaker 1: 1:18

Before we get into this topic, I want to highlight a new podcast review that came in from Lady Bird Mom, who said my husband and I and our kids are so grateful to Flora. We've been to a number of parenting classes and looked at so many online resources. Flora is the only person who helped us make changes that showed a positive effect within the first few days. We love seeing so many positive changes in our family with simple and easy to use strategies. Thank you so much, and others. If you're listening and you find value in this podcast, it makes a huge impact. To get your feedback helps others to know how this resource can be helpful. So please go to the episode, down to all of the bottom of the various episode options, and you'll see a spot with stars. You can click that and then leave a comment. It really means a lot to us and it gives you a chance to win a freebie, as Lady Bird, mom will be getting sent a free course. All right, friends.

Speaker 1: 2:10

So should we use AI to shortcut things? Here is my thought yes and no. Yeah, it's complicated. So some reasons yes and for some reasons no. Let's start with the yes side. The yes side I absolutely think it's amazing to see what can happen in chat GPT. I just was with a friend over the weekend who really opened up my eyes to the options of what you can find here, and it's like Google on steroids that if you download an app of chat GPT which is available in app stores, I'm not sponsored in any way or anything. I'm just sharing a resource I've used.

Speaker 1: 2:50

It's a really great way to ask questions in a more in depth, personalized way and get like a wealth of information that's super boiled down and simplified and answers your exact question. So, for instance, if you're wondering what is the top advice right now for how to potty train a two-year-old who is not wanting to poop, you can put that in and get a really great summary of great resources and suggestions Instead of having to filter through a lot of different articles. I just am amazed at how specific it can be. Also, you can have follow-up questions. So say, you ask that question and it says you can try this or that or this, and then you want to ask well, where could I get supplies for what you mentioned in this article, or are there any personalized coaches that help you walk through this process? And it will give you that information too. So you, it can be a conversation of going more and more in depth with your question. Holy smokes, I've just been blown away with what it offers, um, and so that's one way I would say absolutely use chat GBT If that's a helpful way to get a little bit of advice. Um, on a topic in a different way than Googling, yes.

Speaker 1: 4:04

Now, the other way I'm starting to see people use AI, though, is concerning, and where I say no. So where I'm seeing this is I saw a video on TikTok of a mom making a fake news episode that showed her kids messy room episode that showed her kids messy room and the newscasters saying you know, jack and Savannah have a super messy room and I think they're going to start losing all the toys. We're going to check back. This is something the whole community wants to know about. And the kids eyeballs just bulged with like shock and probably embarrassment and like what the heck? And I think the intention that I saw in the comments was like oh, this is such a fun idea to make it seem like there's some other scary source getting your kids to want to clean their room.

Speaker 1: 4:54

I also know someone that was interested in utilizing this for like a idea around. If there's like sort of a toy monster that like eats up the toys that get left on the ground overnight, then he made an actual toy monster like video or some way with with AI that the child was able to like send a message and get a message back and and it did work. It helped the kid be more concerned with picking up their toys. But here's my concern In both cases. Yes, that might help with a short-term win, but it is not going to help with the long-term authority that I think you have the ability to grow.

Speaker 1: 5:38

So you're kind of farming out the authority to the newscaster or to the chat GPT monster guy and instead I think it's perfectly okay for you to be that authority. You know, and I've had families that I've guided to have a playful like oh no, the gunny sack or pillowcase monster is going to eat up those toys if they're left out. But it's also with this clear like visual of I have this little bag hanging and it's really me that is scooping them up at night with the little pillowcase Not that it truly is a monster that lives in our house. So I would just recommend that you think about the upside of the quick win matched with the downside of farming out your authority, and make sure that you're finding a balance. And I know that, as this is the beginning of exploring AI, there are going to be options that probably help us better be in that middle place.

Speaker 1: 6:34

And so, goodness, if you have a resource of that. Please share it with me. I would love to hear what's at the cutting edge of ways we can use AI that are both kind and firm at the same time, keep our parental authority in our hands and help our children to be respectful, responsible and fun to be around. So that's my two cents on AI for this week. As always, if you are looking for a space to more quickly get into having joy and ease in your home, please reach out to me, because I offer a free clarity goal to clarify what that looks like, and um also have one-on-one 30 minute sessions that you can start with to get a taste of how resources can help change your daily life. You can find out how to schedule that at sustainableparentingcom. Have a great week, friends, and I'll see you next time.