It's not just what your parents organized for you that make meaningful memories. You may also treasure the ways that you and your siblings conspired against the world, perhaps unjustly, such as:

• Blaming something that you did on a sibling, even though you committed the nefarious act;
• Blaming all of the cookies that disappeared from the kitchen on your dog; or
• Blaming everything else on the "bad kid" in the neighborhood.

While these may not be considered to be "positive" behaviors, these actions not only make hilarious retelling later in life, they are a bridge to your children. You expect them to get into at least some of the same kinds of trouble that you did as a kid. If they don't take the time to be "bad," not only will they not learn how to be good, they won't have the same kinds of memories to share with their children, your grandchildren.

Beyond the memories, which are truly valuable, if your children are so involved in electronics, they won't be able to learn how to interact as part of a family. Your kids won't be able to learn what they want to do or what they would like to avoid as adults. In addition, they won't have any strong, real references about how children and parents should interact when they, themselves, are adults with children.

Why Your Kids Need to Unplug: Age Appropriateness

If you have a 10-year-old child, you probably don't want him to inadvertently surf onto pornography sites. Place restrictions on Internet access. If your kids have cell phones with Internet access, take the appropriate measures.