Phone Call

I saw a tweet the other day from a journalist asking parents to "confess" if they've ever parented while on their phone/tablet. Considering that I read it on my phone while the kids were playing, I figured I would respond. We ended up chatting about phones and kids. Here's the article that came out of it. 

It got me thinking of how we view parents and their phones. And here are my three thoughts...

1) The Medium is the Message.

Full disclosure, I hate this saying and I've never agreed with it. That being said, I'm starting to see some truth in it. Example: when I was a kid, my parents would sit in the living room and read the newspaper while my sister and I played/did homework. Now it's me sitting in the living room reading the news while my two girls play. The only difference is that my parents read a paper and I read a phone. Ever try and read a newspaper with a toddler who loves to crawl on you? It much easier to set down a phone than to refold a newspape. And my info is more current. As for the myth that the parents waiting for their kids after school are all on their phones? Last Thursday when I picked up Abby from school, I took a look around. There were three adults on their phones, several sitting on the bench, one or two standing silently and a few more chatting while their little ones were playing on the play structure. Those on their phones were in the minority. 

2) There's More Than one Way to Distract a Mom

I recounted a story for the article of when looked up from my phone and saw Isabelle covered in blue marker courtesy of Abby. Which is why I only buy washable markers, by the way. But how many times have I turned around from making supper to see Isabelle standing on the table? Anything that takes your attention away leaves you open to accidents. Meal preparation, bill paying, getting dressed, scrubbing toilets, reading a book (which I can't do with Isabelle around because she grabs any book I am holding and tried to rip it apart). I can't have my eyes on them both at all times. Which leads me to my last point. 

3) Go Play!

Here is one of my quotes from the article, '“I can’t do everything for my kids,” she says. “It’s not up to me to continually entertain them. And if they’re happy, I can check FB [Facebook].”' To read it, it sounds a little harsh but I stand by it. I could schedule every last moment of my girls' day complete with trips to the park, library, museums, crafts and various other ideas. At the end of the day, I'd be exhausted and Abby would still complain of being bored. Sometimes, you just need to sit and tell them to GO AND PLAY!! And you know what, sometimes they like it. And sometimes they do it so well that it affords you the time to sit, grab a coffee/glass of wine and scroll through twitter, upload a few cute pictures of your kids or check out a community of moms on a "mommy blog." I am not the be all and end all for my kids. 

So there you go. I've never been quoted in a national paper before and my stomach fluttered a bit to see name and the words I used written out for the world (Canada) to see. But what I said us what I believe. I wasn't misquoted or have anything taken out of context. I was honest and forthcoming. And nothing to feel guilty about. Besides, it's not what other parents think about my parenting that matter, only what my kids think. And when I set my phone down I read them a story or snuggle, I have no doubts.