I truly think that my daughters’ social future (way in the future since dating is not allowed until they are in their 30’s Dads rules!!) will be so disappointing. Even meeting your friends after work for an appetizer and drink will be unsociable and lacking real connections. There will be a lack of conversation with peers on their phones or who are only able to discuss a block city they built and take selfie’s more than paying attention to the person they are meeting! It’s a slim chance the conversation will be based on a true interest of getting to know someone face to face with eye contact…
Why?
Because I want to scream every time I walk into a restaurant now and see children on a tablets or a phone for the entire dinner. What?! Seriously?! When I grew up it was not polite to be on a phone at the table, my parents would apologize and step away from the table if they had to take a call. If a man I dated checked his phone it was “nice to meet you,” one date and done. But we are completely teaching our children the opposite now.
That’s the future generation we are sculpting. If they can’t sit or talk to their family while over a meal that’s sad in my opinion.
Mealtime benefit studies are everywhere. Our children get bored so we grab what’s easy and works for instant gratification Yes, I get it, but come on! I know we all crave adult conversation, but my parents went to dinner with us and I had no tablet. They lived, I lived, and I can communicate in a social setting. If I got bored we played I spy or guess how many sugar packs I have in my hand or see who could flip the largest stacks of coasters and catch it. We played, we talked, we interacted, we looked forward to family dinner time. Dinnertime is a very real teachable moment where we all learn to converse, tell jokes, gain patience and get to spend time with our loved ones. So this new year, I hope to see more kids talking around dinner tables than on tablets.
