The other day I heard someone comment at a fast-food restaurant about how sad it was that a mom was on her phone while she was watching her kids play on the playground. Do you find yourself judging these moms too? She can’t possibly be a good parent so glued to her phone like that.
Guilty!
I’m so thankful to be alive in a time where I can “go work” with just my phone and a coffee in hand.
I plan my life from my phone – from finding recipes to meal planning to ordering groceries and scheduling appointments. I can sell my old things and buy other people’s used items. I can find great deals and price match when I’m shopping for something, and I can research anything online. I can read my bible and lesson plan for school. A smartphone makes to-do lists and setting reminders for things is a million times easier. Smartphones have enabled us to quickly check on a friend if she’s having a bad day and communicate with other humans from the comfort of my bed.
This one device has replaced a million different things.
On the flip side, these are the things I use to watch my mom do on a regular basis without a smartphone. Instead, she used a pencil and paper and scoured the newspaper. Then she dragged us from store to store for hours on end. Remember your mom using a phone that was attached to the wall, anyone?
That’s why I get tired of hearing how we’re so addicted to our phones. I get tired of older people shaking their heads at me in disapproval while walking by just because my phone is open, and I’m looking at it. I mean, I get it. Scrolling Instagram for hours is not productive. But it’s been super productive for us in ways too.
I get decoration ideas and outfit ideas. I’m literally inspired all day long by people way more creative than I am. My smartphone helps me to get things done in record time, so I can then be present and relax with my family more.
While it’s crazy important to put our phones down and look people in the eyes, let’s also please stop judging the girl in the coffee shop that has an hour to herself, and her face is glued to her phone. She’s likely building an empire or meal planning for the week for her family. Or maybe even encouraging someone that needs it and literally making a difference in someone else’s life behind that little glass screen. The possibilities are endless.
