6 Reasons Why My Cell Phone Makes Me a Better Parent
Have I told you lately that I love you, iPhone? Have I told you there's no one gadget above you? (Sorry, BlackBerry. While you were my first love, things change. Namely, the iPhone is just that much better.)
I love and adore my iPhone. Almost more than my limbs. It's kind of like a limb, actually. Not only do I not leave home without it, I don't even leave it lying around my home. It comes with my everywhere.
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Despitethis piece in Time magazine that claims cell phone are bad for parenting, my cell phone has, without a doubt, 100 percent made me a better parent. Here's why:
1. I leave home without worrying about work
When I started working from home in early 2009, I didn't have a smartphone. So my daughter and I never left the house. I couldn't. I was working (as opposed to "working").
Once I got a smartphone six months later? It was a whole new world. No more did I fret about what I was missing, because I kept in touch via my smartphone. I could be more present at the playground and merrier in music class.
Knowing and checking exactly what I was missing work-wise on my smartphone was the key to enjoying more time with my family. Do I check my phone while I swing my daughter on the playground? Absolutely! Does she get to swing for longer as a result? You bet!
2. A good occasional distraction for the kids
Life is, indeed, boring sometimes. It's good for kids to be bored sometimes, for sure (I mean, I guess so). But for those other times when it's my fault she doesn't have access to more stimulation I can hand my older daughter my iPhone and she can draw on it, watch Dr. Seuss books, scroll through picture of herself or talk to an incredibly annoying Talking Tom Cat. Would I rather she engages in an interactive doodling game than watch TV? No question about it.
She doesn't get to use my phone every day or even every few days. But it's there when I need it and, boy, am I ever grateful for that.
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3. I can actually work at home
I work on my smartphone while I'm nursing my younger daughter. I work on my smartphone while I'm making dinner for my older daughter. I work all the time, but I get to be with my kids all the time. My cell phone is not a person, but it allows me to be there more with the people I love. My family hasn't shown one sign of suffering as a result.
4. More photos
Every year I make a book in iPhoto for each of my kids. Now that I have an iPhone that takes better pictures than my point-and-shoot camera ever did, their books are thicker and more glorious than ever. And because my iPhone is with me at all times, I capture some seriously special and candid moments.
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5. More videos
Since my iPhone is with me all the time, I can also capture spontaneous moments in living, moving color to save for posterity for forever.
6. It's about quality
But sometimes it's also about quantity.
While I may not always be present in each and every moment with my kids, who's to say I would be if I didn't have my phone? Were our parents any less bored or distracted and more present in every moment with us because they didn't have cell phones? I missed that page in the history book that said parent/child relationships were more emotionally satisfying before the advent of smartphones.
I'm not perfect, but my kids will always know that me being with them is my top priority. And if that means my phone is necessarily there spending time with us, too, so be it. My kids know where they stand.
- By Meredith Carroll
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