If you can see the photo embedded in this post, you can probably figure out what recent incident inspired the headline. My seven-year old daughter dropped my new iPad, shattering the screen.

I know. I’ll give you a moment to catch your breath.

Until recently, I never (ever, ever, ever) shared my technology. I didn’t let the kids play games on my iPhone, and on the very rare occasion did I let them use my laptop or iPad.

My reasons were simple – I work on these devices and cannot afford for them to be a) broken or b) used to accidentally send e-mails or text messages to a client. I also knew that if I let down my guard for a moment, and allowed one of the children to use my tech, I would be heading down a slippery slope.

A slippery slope that ended with the aforementioned shattered iPad.

Comforting my daughter, I reflected on how I was more than a little to blame for the accident. First, I let a seven-year old play with a fragile, expensive device, but didn’t give her any rules. I didn’t tell her to stay sitting on the couch, or not to walk around the house. I never explained why I put the iPad in a case, or why it should never be removed.

My daughter and I did come to an agreement that she would pay a (very small) portion of the cost to repair the iPad. And we have all learned a very valuable lesson about why mommy doesn’t like to share her gadgets.

Do you share your tech with the children?