The Damn Blackberry…
If we all have guardian angels, I often wonder what our guardian angels would say if they could talk… “Don’t forget to turn off the stove”, “Watch the slippery roads”, but I bet in today’s world, they would all yelling the same thing… “Turn off your Damn Blackberry and watch your kid!!!”
If you were to look in the stands of a minor hockey practice, at first glance, wow, look at all of involved parents here to watch their children. But when you look closer – you may see a different picture…
Now, I am not here to judge, but simply to report what I see weekly. Parents with their eyes and hands glued to their phones are missing incredible opportunities for connection with their children.
Not to be too dramatic, but I witnessed something very sad and tragic this past weekend which led me to write this fired up blog. A child scored their first goal – he looked up to the stands, searching for his Dad’s approving smile, ‘thumbs-up”, or ANYTHING – only to be met with dad looking down at his goddamn phone. The child was deflated and crushed. If I’d had a few drinks in me, I would have likely went over to the dad, snatched the phone from his hand, and thrown it like a Chinese throwing star down onto the ice… and told him to watch his kid.
- Does that email REALLY have to be returned right now?
- Does that text REALLY need to be sent RIGHT NOW?
- Do you really need to play Angry Birds right now?
We live in a world filled with a false sense of urgency. “Go go go” – always connected. If I could invent something to change the world, I would invent something that all sporting facilities could implement – an internet/wifi scrambler that disabled all phones within eye sight of a child’s sporting events. But back in the realm of reality, I suggest you make yourself “Strategically Unavailable” during your children’s activities. BE PRESENT – watch your children. Pay attention – look for the little things that you can talk about later…
Every parent or grandparent of grown children will constantly tell you “Enjoy them now, they grow up so fast!” – Well they grow up even faster when you miss the key little moments in their life! So turn off your damn phone, unplug from online world, and enjoy the LIVE world in front of you – your kids are the stars!
A very good point Jeff. Perhaps we should rename these devices… “smartphones” may not be the most accurate name for these devices.
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