Travel Man and I have had the good fortune to be able to go to the Disney Parks this year quite a few times. We have annual passes, which for a Southern California resident makes a whole lot of sense. The parks are close by, and with a schedule like my husband’s we can take the little mini-trips between his business travel trips, and feel like we’re escaping from reality for just a bit.
I have two pet peeves when I go to Disneyland these days; stroller drivers who don’t pay attention to where they are going, and parents glued to their cell phones. Now we don’t have small kids at home any longer, but we do have a grandson so I am always observing, ie. people watching, what people are up to with their kids. The kids get so excited to be at the amusement parks, they just want to have fun!
There have been numerous times (more than I can count on one hand) where we will see a family walking along, and both parents have theirs noses glued to their cell phones. What! Put your phone in your pocket or purse, and don’t touch it again, unless you have an emergency phone call. We were sitting in a small snack area one evening, and I will never forget this, a mom and her two sons were sitting next to us. The sons were eating their ice cream, and their mom was fiddling with her phone the entire time. There was no conversation, no true interaction. They didn’t say anything to each other the entire we were sitting there. I felt really sad for the kids.
There is no app, or game, or Facebook post that is so important that you can’t just leave it alone and interact and play with your kids. Did you pay the big bucks to be at an amusement park and play on your cell phone, all day? I honestly don’t think so, but I do know that time with your kids is precious. Play with them, talk to them, listen to them, teach them, hug them, just be with them when you have those moments together. I will step down off of my soap box now.