*Warning* The following could be mistaken as a rant. It is not meant to offend the guilty (all of us), but rather provoke some meaningful thought.
A beautiful, sunny, spring-like Friday afternoon seems like the perfect time for a sushi Lunch. I don’t have to prepare lunch and the kids and I can stop at a park for a picnic = win/win. I preorder my lunch, load up the kids and drive down to our favorite sushi restaurant. 10 minutes later I walk in to pick up our order and have to get in line behind a dad and his (probably 9 year old) son. They place their order and step back to wait for their carry out lunch. As I step up to pay, I can’t help but notice that the dad had pulled out his smart phone and was looking down at it (presumably checking email?) while his son just looked around.
“IS THIS WHAT WE’VE COME TO??!!” I screamed on the inside. How could we get to a point as a collective societal group, where interaction with our phone is more valued than interaction with another warm body – in particular our own children? I quickly put myself in the same situation and am horrified to think that I too am guilty of this! It is through our own behavior that we teach our children, that’s ‘Parenting 101’, so what sense of value did/does this boy receive from his Dad? I venture to say that he is well aware that a piece of electronic plastic comes WAY before him. Why does it always take a tragedy for us humans to realize the irreplaceable importance of living in the moment and valuing our relationships? As I picked up my order and walked out, I smiled warmly at the young boy (dad still had his face glued to his phone) with a somewhat broken heart. Will his dad ever get it? I hope so. But for now….
I GET IT!