One of the most unexpected things about having children is how the quest to mold perfect little humans ultimately becomes a project of making yourself a better person. Though hardly revolutionary, this epiphany came to me recently when I was talking to an inanimate object, Amazon's Echo speaker, in front of my 18-month-old Jack.
"Echo, turn on the lights. Echo, set my thermostat to 72 degrees. Echo, play 'Wheels on the Bus,'" I commanded the gadget, which understands and responds to an ever growing set of orders (including, no surprise, "Echo, buy more diapers"). Every time I said "Echo," Jack's eyes shot up to the cylinder-shaped speaker atop the refrigerator, its glowing blue halo indicating it was listening. Then, one day, the inevitable happened: "Uggo!" Jack barked. "Bus!"
After I…
