Ok, I have to vent. I am not against technology or the conveniences it gives us. There are many, many benefits of texting, including staying connected to your spouse during the work day, with your teenage kids, friends, being connected with the latest news, etc.
However, my heart has been breaking on the subject of Texting while with your kids. I’ve attended several fun, family events over the last couple months and have seen a trend that is really bothering me.
At these fun, family events, I’ve seen mom after mom not really ‘being with’ their kids. Just over the weekend, I was with my little girl to see Fancy Nancy. This is a great mother daughter, girls day out bonding time. It’s suppose to be special. The mom behind me was texting on her cell phone the whole time while her 9 year old daughter sat there: isolated, alone, bored. Where is the bonding? Where is the special event with her mom? The daughter is getting cheated out of fond memories. She’s being put aside for technology. I feel that that moms who text while with their kids are missing out on the good stuff in life. Does she know the impact she is making on her child?
Last week, we were at an indoor playground with arcades for a birthday party. Every single time I saw a particular mom with her 2 sons ages 7 and 9, she was following them with her eyes glued to her cell phone texting. She reminded me of a teenager walking through the store following her parents while playing a hand-held video game. This mom would finish her text and look up to act interested in her kids, then when the next text came in 2 min later, she went right back to texting. She did this every time I saw her. Her sons are not going to want to be hanging out with mom for much longer, she should be enjoying this time with her boys.
I love technology and the conveniences it gives all of us. I understand when you have to take a call or a text while with your kids. But, seriously, what is so important that you have to continuously text whoever instead of sharing a special event with your kid? Shouldn’t we set boundaries?
Tell me what you think.
I admit that I text while out and about with my family. Most of the time it is important things that come through my e-mail regarding jobs that I have to respond to right away or else someone else would get the assignment. I have been making more effort lately by not even having my phone in my pocket most of the time, although if my daughter sees it laying somewhere she insists on giving it to me right away!
Today my family was at the Nickelodeon show. The family in front of us had a daughter who was about 2. Her dad was texting and her mom was playing a game on her phone through atleast 1/3 of the show! Many times their daughter was completely ignored. She danced in the aisle for a couple minutes and when they discovered that she was yelled at. Then while turned in her seat, she was talking to our daughter and they were having fun. But her mom and dad had no idea what was going on and she was again yelled at and told to leave our daughter alone. I could not believe the way they were treating her!
I was just watching two women with kids walk down my street the other night. One was holding a toddlers hand while texting with the other hand. The second woman was texting while pushing a very young baby. It made me so sad to see the lack of attention.
I totally agree! I love texting but I was out with my fiance and son at chili’s restaurant and BOTH mom and dad were texting, ignoring their 8/9 year old son while he tried to find things to keep himself busy. They never spoke to one another, nor did they attempt to make conversation with their son. Even when their food came, they still did not stop texting or browsing the web. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. When did we as a nation become so out of touch with humanity??