The most emailed article on the New York Times website the last few days is all about the perils of trying to be a parent while you’re plugged in to the internet. It includes an unnerving anecdote about a child desperately trying to get his mom’s attention away from her Blackberry. Parents like the idea of staying connected and can probably even rationalize the need for having a phone nearby even while with children. But is it really necessary to check Facebook? Or Twitter?

Then again, having a way to connect with the world can make the experience of parenting a little less isolating. You can catch up on grown-up conversation even if it’s only on a screen.

We talk to Ken Denmead of Wired.com’s GeekDad blog for some insight on the dual challenges of parenting and technology faced by geek dads and moms. We also hear some tales from the front lines from bloggers Alice Bradley and Rebecca Nelson.

Also during this show, we hear about how the New York Times has decided that “tweet” may be an acceptable word for describing sounds made by birds but not when you’re talking about writing on Twitter. Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg shares his thoughts.