Being a first time grandmother I realize how fast babies grow up. Already my granddaughter is 7 months old and I soak up every second of time that I have with her. I hold her every chance I get and my favorite time spent with her is during her afternoon catnap. I put her on my chest, put my feet up, turn down the sound on the Television and listen to her breathe. Nothing makes me happier.
The Television happened to be on a national 24-hour news channel. I noticed the AP scrolling across the bottom of the screen with news from across the country and world. The anchor was silently debating politics with a split screen duo of scowling men. The top right hand of the screen flashed the current time and weather in all time zones, the bottom right hand showed stock gains and losses leaving the top left hand corner to inform us of various sports scores. It was absolute information overload. I was thankful the sound was off. Ironically at that moment the AP scrolled the results of a national educational study. Evidently school age children are too busy, too tired and too over scheduled to take the time to read a book for enjoyment or for information. I’m pretty sure we did’t need a national study to tell us this.
Our society is a frantic paced frenzy of technological tuned in, turned on, hooked up, online living. It starts with adults and trickles down to our teens, adolescents and preschoolers. Is it just me or are cell phone users getting younger and younger? I am amazed at how many elementary aged children carry and use cell phones.
This rant does have a purpose. Recently the Director of the preschool where I teach had to request that parents turn off their cell phones during carpool. It seems that children were trying to say goodbye to their parents but the parents were too busy talking, doing business and scheduling appointments to acknowledge their child’s departure. The amazing thing to me was that not only did there have to be a formal request typed and handed out to each parent but that the parents themselves were annoyed with the memo. I heard their complaints the very next day as they picked up their children. In-between talking with each other or on their cell phones, collectively they were not a happy group.
One mother in particular comes to mind. She was equipped with a handless talking device. Her son was trying to show her the artwork he was so proud of. She was talking nonstop to someone on the phone about having 3 Halloween parties to take her children to. It happened to be Halloween day and our class had already had a party. So her son would apparently be attending 3 more. He was 4 years old. Not once did she make eye contact with her son. She directed him to grab his lunchbox and hurry. Again he tried to hand her his artwork. She waved to another parent down the hall, grabbed her sons hand and left. I looked down and there on the floor was the artwork, still crumpled from where he had clutched it. That broke my heart.
I know that this mother left the building, put her son in his car seat and probably popped in a DVD for him to watch on the way home. I am guessing that enabled her time to make several more phone calls before going home, gathering her clan so they could attend 3 Halloween parties.
All this child wanted was a warm greeting, acknowledgement of the work he had done at school and some quiet conversation with his Mother. Instead he received terse instructions, avoidance and a maddening round of social engagements. If only they knew��….how fast they grow up.
Parents please turn off the cell phones. Turn off the TV, the blackberry, the computer or anything else that keeps you from tuning into your own child. Gather up a some good books and spend a few moments reading to them, laughing with them and making eye contact. Maybe you could even rest with them. If your very quiet and if your lucky maybe you can listen to them breathe.
The Television happened to be on a national 24-hour news channel. I noticed the AP scrolling across the bottom of the screen with news from across the country and world. The anchor was silently debating politics with a split screen duo of scowling men. The top right hand of the screen flashed the current time and weather in all time zones, the bottom right hand showed stock gains and losses leaving the top left hand corner to inform us of various sports scores. It was absolute information overload. I was thankful the sound was off. Ironically at that moment the AP scrolled the results of a national educational study. Evidently school age children are too busy, too tired and too over scheduled to take the time to read a book for enjoyment or for information. I’m pretty sure we did’t need a national study to tell us this.
Our society is a frantic paced frenzy of technological tuned in, turned on, hooked up, online living. It starts with adults and trickles down to our teens, adolescents and preschoolers. Is it just me or are cell phone users getting younger and younger? I am amazed at how many elementary aged children carry and use cell phones.
This rant does have a purpose. Recently the Director of the preschool where I teach had to request that parents turn off their cell phones during carpool. It seems that children were trying to say goodbye to their parents but the parents were too busy talking, doing business and scheduling appointments to acknowledge their child’s departure. The amazing thing to me was that not only did there have to be a formal request typed and handed out to each parent but that the parents themselves were annoyed with the memo. I heard their complaints the very next day as they picked up their children. In-between talking with each other or on their cell phones, collectively they were not a happy group.
One mother in particular comes to mind. She was equipped with a handless talking device. Her son was trying to show her the artwork he was so proud of. She was talking nonstop to someone on the phone about having 3 Halloween parties to take her children to. It happened to be Halloween day and our class had already had a party. So her son would apparently be attending 3 more. He was 4 years old. Not once did she make eye contact with her son. She directed him to grab his lunchbox and hurry. Again he tried to hand her his artwork. She waved to another parent down the hall, grabbed her sons hand and left. I looked down and there on the floor was the artwork, still crumpled from where he had clutched it. That broke my heart.
I know that this mother left the building, put her son in his car seat and probably popped in a DVD for him to watch on the way home. I am guessing that enabled her time to make several more phone calls before going home, gathering her clan so they could attend 3 Halloween parties.
All this child wanted was a warm greeting, acknowledgement of the work he had done at school and some quiet conversation with his Mother. Instead he received terse instructions, avoidance and a maddening round of social engagements. If only they knew��….how fast they grow up.
Parents please turn off the cell phones. Turn off the TV, the blackberry, the computer or anything else that keeps you from tuning into your own child. Gather up a some good books and spend a few moments reading to them, laughing with them and making eye contact. Maybe you could even rest with them. If your very quiet and if your lucky maybe you can listen to them breathe.
Questions or comments? Please feel free to "Ask Ms. Donna"
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