Earlier this year, researchers discovered that nearly one out of every three parents eating at a restaurant with their small children spent nearly the entire time on their cell phones (http://www.livescience.com/43977-parents-glued-mobile-phone-kids.html). Ouch!
Still, my guess is that this doesn’t surprise you because you’ve seen evidence of it yourself (perhaps, it describes you). It’s an easy habit to get into—and not just at restaurants. Ever looked around at church and noticed folks similarly fiddling with their mobile phones, perhaps totally ignoring your pastor’s sermon? Ever been to a beautiful vacation spot and noticed someone completely oblivious to the picturesque surroundings because they’re checking e-mails or texting? A few years ago, my wife and I invited a mother and two children to join us at a nearby lake. It was hard to have a conversation with the mom because she was continually messaging from her phone.
If you find it hard at times to put the mobile phone down or you fight that battle with your children, Focus on the Family has a radio broadcast happening this week that you’ll not want to miss. It’s a two-part broadcast entitled “Helping Kids Relate in a Screen-Driven World” with guests Dr. Gary Chapman (The 5 Love Languages) and Arlene Pellicane (31 Days to a Happy Husband) airing Thursday and Friday. Here’s just a small sample:
Jim Daly: Do you think with everything that we have to do as parents—the art of parenting if we want to refer to it that way—is this perhaps one of the most difficult areas—technology—that really stretches us in our creativity of parenting?
Arlene Pellicane: I think it’s very difficult for parents, because it’s new. It’s in our face, it’s all over the place and it’s something that in the last five years has really crept up. You think, wow, there’s technology everywhere. How am I going to relate to my kids? How am I gonna teach them? I think it’s a concern that every parent has, that they’ve either battled with their child when they said, “turn that off.” Or they’ve seen their child have this blank stare and look at a screen. And they know this is not right, but they don’t know what to do.
If you’re a parent reading this blog and you could use some help navigating today’s “screen-driven world,” be sure to tune in to your local Christian station or catch it online at focusonthefamily.com.
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