It seems as if technology is taking over our daily lives in many respects. That is especially true when it comes to our cell phones and it doesn’t matter if we are an adult or a child, they are rarely ever very far from our hands. The problem is, they can get in the way of people actually communicating with each other, and that is especially true when it comes to parents communicating with their children. More than likely, any parent knows the frustration of having a child send text messages during school, dinner or any family event.
It doesn’t matter where they are, teenagers seem to want to pull out their smartphone and begin texting at a moments notice. One father saw that it was a particular problem and he came up with a solution that was rather brilliant. You can see it in this video when dad and mom have finally had enough of the texting at the dinner table. The father decided to take care of business and you will find it to be rather hilarious.
Perhaps these are steps that all of us could take to stop text messaging at the dinner table.
It really doesn’t surprise any of us when we see people using a smartphone during some type of social activity. Even though it is commonly seen, it is still considered rude because we end up ignoring the person that we are directly in front of. It is a trend that we seem to spot everywhere, regardless of whether we are eating dinner at home or eating out at a restaurant.
Most children will be sitting at the table with their heads down and their noses inches from their smartphone. It just seems to be normal but in this house, dad had enough of it.
A study was taken by Deloitte and it found that Americans looked at their smartphones approximately 52 times every day. It doesn’t matter if it was to glance at a message, to check the time or to have a lengthy conversation, screen time is ruling our time.
Another study was done by Virginia Tech and it said that using smartphones during a social situation can cause you to miss a significant amount of human interaction.
The published study said:
“Even without active use, the presence of mobile technologies has the potential to divert individuals from face-to-face exchanges, thereby undermining the character and depth of these connections. Individuals are more likely to miss subtle cues, facial expressions, and changes in the tone of their conversation partner’s voice, and have less eye contact.”
The video gets the message across loud and clear. When dad pulls out the old-time communication device, the children’s faces drop immediately. Mom starts smiling and before long, the children are putting their phones away.
It’s a great reminder.
You can look at this video of and see what happens when dad has had enough: