While watching her 2-year-old twin toddler sons play, Brandie Wood Johnson decided to embark on a little experiment.
She tallied the number of times they looked up at her while they thought she was busy writing.
What did she observe? Cellphone distracting parenting at its worst!
She said in the Facebook post which is currently going viral, “As I sat quietly in the corner of the room I tallied how many times they looked at me for various reasons: to see if I saw their cool tricks, to seek approval or disapproval for what they were doing, and to watch my reactions,” she wrote. “I couldn’t help but wonder if I was on some sort of technology what message would I have been sending?”
28 times–that’s the number Brandie came up with. If she had not been looking or keeping score, she would be most likely be holding her smartphone. During this time, twins Blaine and Rylie may have “wondered if the World Wide Web was more important than them.”
As of this writing, the post has been shared close to 81,000 times. When asked about her post’s viral status, she wrote on Facebook, “I had no idea it would spread like this.”
Cellphone distracting parenting is becoming an issue. photo: Brandie Wood Johnson facebook
Technology as a ‘double-edged sword’
Brandie told The Huffington Post that technology should be a limited, healthy balance. She shares, “Technology is a double-edged sword. It helps and hinders. Everyone should find what works for them. Just being aware will help tremendously. I am guilty of being connected to my phone as well,” confesses the mum of two. “This experience has completely humbled me to be more present.”
photo: Brandie Wood Johnson facebook
It is not only the emotional development of our kids that is affected by cellphone-distracted parenting. According to a recent study published in Translational Psychiatry, cellphone usage poses certain hazards to their brain development, as well.
“Please put down your technology and spend some time with your family and loved ones,” urges Brandie as she ends the post. “The next generation of children is counting on us to teach them how to be adults, don’t be too busy on social media, you never know who is watching and what message you are sending.”
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