Being a mom and being on the phone is not a good way to multitask!
One day my 7 year-old brought me a surprise from school, something he had made for me. He had it inside a paper bag that he had designed. The paper bag caught my attention because I saw something on it and couldn’t understand why he drew that.
On that paper bag he drew a heart, a picture of me, a telephone and wrote a message:
“I love you mommy. You are the best.”
It was so sweet but I didn’t get the connection with the phone?! So I asked him:
“Why the phone?”
He replied:
“Mommy I drew the phone because you are always on the phone!”
Wow! That moment was a reality check! It was like a wake up call. I knew I was spending too much time working. But I never thought my kids would notice that.
Since then I have left my job. I wanted to spend more time with my family. Some weeks I would work 45 to 50 hours and then after getting home my boss would call all the time. I would either be getting ready for dinner or putting the kids in bed. I didn’t have the guts to tell my boss to wait till the next morning when I was back at work.
My New Year's resolution was to spend more time with my family and that’s what I am doing. I have made a deal with myself. When my children and hubby are home I will not answer my cell phone or even get on the computer to check email or facebook. I have also asked my hubby to do the same. It’s really hard sometimes just because of the world we live in but you have to keep reminding yourself of what’s more important in your life.
In my life there is nothing more important than my little family.
I found this interesting article a couple days ago in the New Jersey Real Time News about adults being on the phone too much and how it affects children. It’s a great article and I recommend you read it because we are so busy with our everyday lives we don’t even realize that such an insignificant thing like being on the phone can cause so much damage for our little people.
"Too much cell phone use by adults can lead to problems for kids”
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/too_much_cell_phone_use_by_adu.html
How many hours are you on the phone, or working from home?
Hi Paula,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I am not on the phone so much as I am on my computer -- writing, lost in my fiction world. I try to save writing times for early mornings or when my kids are at school, but sometimes the call of the story is so powerful, I can't help but follow . . . Usually, when my kids come home from school, I'll first tend to them, their homework, Karate practice, how was your day, their snack, reading, etc. Then, I'll ask if they want to do something together. Often they'll say, "nah," which is a disappointment to me -- but at the same time, when the story calls, it's also a relief. So at least when I'm writing, they can't say I didn't do my best to hang out :)
Anyway, love your blog so far. I tried to follow you, but it didn't work. Hope you fix your "technical difficulties." Best of luck with it!
Katia
Very interesting article. I admire you for being able to disconnect for uninterrupted family time.
ReplyDeleteHI Paula, welcome to the wonderful world of blogging! I have a blog as well (I am part of the mommy group in the area!) and love it, stop by sometime! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you can believe this, I was WITHOUT a cell phone for 10 yrs and LOVED IT! My husband recently got me an iphone and while I do like it, I almost never talk on it! do text and use it for a mini computer, but have a ton of rollover mins.
However, I do enjoy being on the computer and visiting blogs, so I (like you) try to do that at night, or take a break during the day to do a little. Moderation is the key to almost everything :)
Kristi