At my daughter's ballet class, I sat in the lobby while several other parents talked ... and effectively ignored the younger siblings they had brought along to wait while older sister danced. Several of the kids were busy on mom's cell phone, and one parent even complained that a lack of wi-fi or 4G meant there was less the kids could do to pass the time. And then this question from one mom whose child had yet to look up from the iPhone:
"Oh, cell phones. What did we do before then?"
Well, I don't know. I assume we parented. You know, engaged with our children, talked to them, spent time with them. Perhaps we took them for a little walk, or we actually played a game with them. It seems so sad - the people who have little interest in preparing a little to engage their children in a little activity. The same goes every time a car zips past me with a DVD playing for the kids in the back seat. As if the twenty-minute car ride to school or practice or anywhere is terminal if the kid doesn't have SpongeBob to act like a freaking moron in front of him.
Either accept the role of parent seriously ... or make the decision to be self-absorbed in the first place and not burden society with more zoned-out or attention-starved children.
5 comments:
I don't think parents have to spend every waking second blabbing at their kids, but it would be nice if they could read a book or do colouring together. Does no one else travel with a bag of books/crayons and little toys anymore? I think even more than the loss of companionship, there is a certain value to playing or working with something, stacking blocks and what-have-you.
In the old days parent's wouldn't have say around while their kids were at ballet. They'd have had them walk to the class, dropped them off, or carpooled with other parents. The younger kids would be at home playing - and not with cell phones.
That's what I remember, but perhaps you remember something else.
Gosh, I wish these things could be edited for mis-typed words and such:)
Good point! Gadget and entertainment things are not good for kids. Because kids learn by doing things.
Role of parents is very important, for the modern life style, parents have more time for their working and technology, but little time for their children, I think this is serious problem for many families.
Thank you for your idea sharing.
Post a Comment