If You Want to be a Less Frustrated Parent, Put Down Your Phone

Like a lot of parents, I’m pretty attached to my phone. As a natural extension of my right hand, my phone serves as a portal of infinite human communication – one that has saved me from the awkwardness of genuine human interaction, and of course, kept me in the ever-important loop of viral cat videos. Priorities, people.

But for all the wonderful things my phone does (look Ma, people in the palm of my hand!), what it’s never done is made me a better parent.

Unlike my husband who is equally nomophobic, I don’t use my phone as a device to engage with my kids (mostly because I’m afraid they’ll drop it). We don’t watch those aforementioned cat videos together, nor do we engage in other app-friendly moments of parental bliss. I use my phone for business and pleasure because it’s there and frankly, so totally awesome.

And while my kids are without a doubt, my absolute favorite people on this good earth, I’m beginning to fear that my bionic phone-hand is telling them something different. [read more…]