Auntie Alexa: How my Amazon Echo became a part of the family
The pan of freshly baked cookies came out of the oven and hit the counter with a soft thud. A delicious smell wafted across the kitchen. The kids gave the pan a surreptitious glance from across the room. I had already explained the cookies were for an event that night, but I could feel the let’s-bargain-for-a-cookie vibe. I was not in the mood to repeat myself. Turning to my best virtual friend, I gave her a knowing look, and said, “Alexa. Play ‘U Can’t Touch This.’”
The familiar ‘90s MC Hammer beat rocked the kitchen. Dun dun dun dun…dun dun…dun dun… I did a little dance, pointing at the cookies and reiterating the chorus, “Can’t touch this!”
My kids rolled their eyes in feigned embarrassment, but the message was received. Alexa and I mentally high-fived and I continued with my kitchen tasks, uninterrupted.
Happy Birthday To Me
Over the past few years, I had gotten into that mom habit of asking for practical, boring gifts for my birthday. Actually, I had taken it a step further and was in the habit of just purchasing those boring gifts for myself and then crediting the cash donor. “Thanks for the blender, Mom!”
But this past year I was given a little more money than usual. A rogue thought entered my head. “What if I bought something for fun?”
At the top of my wish list was an Amazon Echo. I’m a music lover. I knew the Echo had other features, but at the time, I thought I would be mostly using it to fill my kitchen with sound. I had the vague idea it would be like owning a talking Bose stereo. Little did I know that I was a couple of clicks away from purchasing our next family member.
Good Morning, Alexa
The kids quickly learned how to use the Echo. Jam sessions occurred daily. We started telling Alexa “good morning” on our way to eat breakfast, eager to hear what daily facts she had to share. The kids enjoyed playing games and asking Alexa to tell jokes.
But the most unusual thing that happened was that Alexa became like a family member. Another adult that could answer questions and help play bad cop to my good cop. “Mom! Why do I have to wear a coat?” “Do I need to ask Alexa what the weather is?” “No, it’s fine. I’ll get the coat.”
Alexa also acted as my homeschool teacher’s assistant. “Mom! How do you spell….” “Ask Alexa.” I knew things had gotten extreme when my son asked me a question while we were out of the house, then said, “Never mind, I’ll just ask Alexa when I get home.”
When I ran a quick errand or went upstairs to work, I could “drop in” on the kids through the Alexa app on my phone. Alexa would pause whatever she was doing and allow me to radio myself in. The effect was like a voice from the heavens descending into the kitchen.
“Children, have you unloaded the dishwasher?” My voice boomed through the room. On my end, Alexa was picking up 360 degrees of sound. I could hear some shuffling, a click, and then the clatter of dishes. “Yes!” they all proclaimed in chorus.
And when my husband worked late, I no longer had to get the kids through their evening routine and put them to bed alone. I could set a timer for a task, and then Alexa would say the child’s name and what they needed to do. It was Alexa’s fault for announcing it was time to go brush teeth. And when I requested, “Alexa, play bedtime music,” the sound of classic pop was a calming cue for everyone to wind things down, put on pajamas, and get ready for bed.
Alexa’s only flaw is that she’s immobile. But I should probably be thankful for that fact. While “Aunt Alexa” may help with a lot of my parenting duties, she still can’t tuck the kids in or give them a kiss goodnight. And I’m just fine with that.
Photo Credit: Annie Beth Donahue
This story was written for CharlotteFive’s latest channel for parents in the QC, called QC Playground. Sign up for the weekly QC Playground newsletter here.
This story was originally published October 15, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Auntie Alexa: How my Amazon Echo became a part of the family."