musings of the modern mom
similar top (also love this one) | jeans | similar bag | shoes | watch | similar earrings
It hit me pretty hard the first time I realized how dependent I am upon my cell phone. Bear and I were sitting in McDonalds one afternoon last summer (supermom, I know), and Bear was chowing down on chicken nuggets. My email had been blowing up all morning so I was taking the opportunity of Bear quietly eating to answer a few of those emails. I would occasionally look up and make sure he wasn't choking or crawling on the floor but for the most part, I was staring at my phone.
I felt a death glare, and looked up to see an older woman sitting across from us totally reprimanding me with her eyes. Suddenly I felt ashamed, and embarrassed, that my two year old son was eating in silence because I couldn't put down my phone long enough to engage in conversation with him. And the saddest part was, he didn't act out or complain because he was used to it. I don't like it when I'm eating out with a friend and she's on her phone the whole time; I find it to be pretty rude, actually. So why would I be okay with treating my son with the same disrespect? If anything, he's at the age where he needs the most engagement, not to be ignored for a few emails that can certainly wait.
After that day, I promised myself that I would put down my phone a lot more. Because blogging is so internet-related and I work as a stylist from my iPad, it's hard for me to quit those outlets altogether. I can, however, pick and choose when I want to devote my time to social media. When I'm with Bear, he has my full attention. Of course I check my phone. Or Zach calls and I chat with him while Bear builds a castle out of blocks. But I want Bear to know that he comes first, and he won't know that unless I show him by my actions.
That said, I don't think we as mothers should be ashamed to be on our cell phones. My brother and his wife had their first child last week and I was a stalking machine. Facebook, Instagram, blowing them up with texts...I was ridiculous. And sometimes, work really does have to come first for a few minutes. The mother at the park on her cell phone while her kids play may be talking to her grandmother in the hospital, or scheduling a doctors appointment, or paying a bill, or anything else that she needs to get done and is taking advantage of a small window of time to do so. I get it. I totally get it. As long as we're doing our jobs as mothers, which is loving and taking care of our children, a little cell phone time never hurt anyone. Just make sure you don't take it to the extremes of getting dirty looks in Mickey Dees.
xo, Britt