Mom defends parents who are accused of ‘always’ being on their phones
We could probably all do with a little bit of a digital detox. At this point, all of us have pretty much our whole lives inside our devices. So when parents are criticized for being on their phones all the time, well, sorry—that’s where our jobs, contacts, social lives, entertainment, the pediatrician’s records, games for the kids, shopping, shopping lists, and pretty much everything else that runs our lives happens to be.
And that’s why one mom made a now-viral TikTok video to clap back at anyone who says parents need to put their phones down and be more “present.”
“I was just at my son’s Taekwondo practice, and I’d say 75% of the parents are on their phones,” mom Paige said in her video. “I have seen a lot of commentary about how parents are always on their phones. ‘Parents are always texting — they’re not watching their kids, they’re not seeing how great their kid’s doing during Taekwondo or baseball or gymnastics, whatever it is. They’re just too busy on their phone, and why can’t they just take a break and look up?'”
She continued, “I just want to provide a slightly different perspective here, because I think the average parent is being asked to do a lot. They are working full time. There’s a lack of childcare. So oftentimes these parents are not only on their phone. I sit next to parents who are on their laptops at Taekwondo practice, because we are technically still working. The majority of us are working parents. The majority of parents in our country are working parents. So when they’re at Taekwondo practice at 4 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, they’re probably still on the clock. And if they’re lucky enough to have a remote job, they’re still working while they’re there. They’re Slacking on their phone. They’re answering emails. Sometimes they’re even listening to a call.”
That’s an extremely valid point. But Paige makes another one.
“The other thing here too is our parents used to drop us off and leave,” she says. “I don’t remember my parents staying at every practice and game. They would drop me off and leave. So here’s the thing: We’re being asked not only to do more — be at every practice, be at every game, volunteer, work full-time, pick up your kids from the bus stop. We’re also being asked to be fully present for all of it, which is impossible.”
Yep. That truly cannot be done.
“So here’s the thing,” she concludes her video. “In an ideal world, our kids would have practices and games at times that allowed us to be fully present. But we are being asked to go in many different directions right now, and so many of us don’t have that luxury.”
She makes a strong case for giving parents a little grace for being on their phones sometimes. But, on the other hand, this is all the more reason to unplug whenever you can and enjoy the times you are able to be fully present with your family.
