I’ve spent the last few months running parent workshops in partnership with schools. Usually 90 minutes, always hands-on, focused on one question: how do AI and parenting go hand-in-hand to enable you to be the parent you want to be?

As we head into the holidays and close out 2025, I’ve been thinking about what these sessions taught me—and what parents are taking away from them.

As I reflect on the importance of AI and parenting, I’ve considered what these sessions taught me—and what parents are taking away from them.

Why Parents Need This

Most parents I meet fall into one of two camps:

Camp 1: Worried their kids are using AI to cheat and wondering if they should just ban it.

Camp 2: Vaguely aware it exists but have no idea what to do with it.

Neither group has been shown how AI could actually make their lives easier.

That’s what these workshops do. I show parents how to use AI as a creative partner and time-saving tool for the exhausting, wonderful work of raising kids.

Not abstract future stuff. Practical things that help tonight.

What We Actually Cover

The sessions are hands-on. No lectures about machine learning. No scary charts about the future of work. Just real problems and real solutions.

We start with the basics. I explain AI using parenting analogies—teaching a child versus training an AI. Exposure, pattern recognition, feedback, refinement. Parents already understand these concepts. They just didn’t know it applied to AI.

Then we get practical. Three main use cases:

1. AI as a thought partner for parenting challenges (sleep issues, picky eating, big emotions)
2. Creating personalized content (bedtime stories, songs, images)
3. Bringing imagination to life (designing spaces, planning projects, visualizing ideas)

We use Google Gemini and Suno. Both free. Both accessible. Both powerful enough to be genuinely useful.

The Moment It Clicks

There’s a moment in every workshop where I see it click.

Usually when we’re creating personalized stories. I ask parents to think about their child—their interests, their struggles, what keeps them up at night. Then we use Gemini to generate a story that speaks directly to that kid.

A mom creates a story about her daughter who’s nervous about starting at a new school. The main character has the same name, same worries, and by the end she’s figured out how to make friends.

The mom looks up and says, “I can use this tonight.”

That’s when AI stops being scary or abstract and becomes something they actually want to use.

Real Examples

I share examples from my own life because it helps parents see what’s possible.

Xander’s drum kit. My son wanted to paint his cardboard drum set. I took a photo, described his vision (pink and black, musical notes, nature themes), and Gemini created a mockup. Four kids spent an afternoon outside painting. No screens involved—just paint, cardboard, and a clear goal.

Ariana’s story. My daughter was struggling with school related meltdowns. I created a personalized storybook about a girl named Ariana learning to handle big feelings with help from a grumpy cloud. It helped her turn her mood around and gave us shared language for emotions.

Xander’s birthday song. My son has a birthday coming up soon. He wanted a custom song to match his party theme, so we made one using Suno. Now we jam out to it in the car, getting more excited every time we listen. The anticipation has become part of the celebration.

These aren’t miracles. They’re just what becomes possible when you know how to use the tools.

The Part That Matters Most

I always spend time on boundaries.

AI is useful. But it’s not a replacement for you.

Your presence matters. Your warmth matters. Your intuition matters. AI is a tool to give you more time and energy for what actually requires a human.

I tell parents to ask themselves: Is this saving me time so I can be more present? Or is it becoming a distraction?

If it’s the former, use it. If it’s the latter, put it down.

Try Something Over the Break

If you’re reading this and have some downtime over the holidays, here are a few things to try with your kids:

Create a personalized story together. Ask your child what they want the story to be about. Who should the characters be? What kind of art style? Use Gemini to generate it and read it together before bed.

Make a family song. Use Suno to create a silly song about your family, your pet, or something that happened this year. Kids love hearing themselves in music.

Design something together. Ask your child to describe their dream bedroom, playhouse, or art project. Use AI to visualize it. You don’t have to build it—sometimes just seeing the idea come to life is enough.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s just spending time together in a way that feels creative and fun.

What’s Coming in 2026

I’m continuing these workshops into the new year. If your school or organization wants to bring this session to your parent community, email me at alex@unconstrained.work.

I’m also working on a self-paced version for parents who can’t attend in person. Same hands-on approach, just something you can work through on your own schedule.

And we’re building more resources at UnconstrainED—practical guides, case studies, tools—for parents and educators who want to approach AI with intention and creativity.

End of Year Reflection

2025 has been a year of rapid change. AI went from something theoretical to something showing up in classrooms, homes, and workplaces every day.

The parent workshops reminded me that most people don’t need more information about AI. They need practical ways to use it that align with their values.

They need to see it work once. To try it themselves. To realize it’s not replacing their role as a parent—it’s just giving them another tool in the toolkit.

That’s what I hope these sessions provided.

Happy Holidays

As we close out 2025, I hope you get some rest. Time with your kids. Space to think.

And if you’re curious about AI but haven’t tried it yet, consider this your invitation. Start small. Create a story. Make a song. See what happens.

Thanks for following along this year. See you in 2026.

— Alex

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