The modern mom is super-efficient; she manages the home, her profession, family, and a hundred other things efficiently day in, day out. But in recent times, something is playing a spoilsport in this perfect scenario in some cases; and that\u2019s her device.<\/p>\n
My friend was nostalgic at a party about how she missed her son\u2019s spectacular goal at an inter-school competition even though she had taken a day off for this very reason. \u201cI was checking my emails<\/em>,\u201d she wailed.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething similar happened to me too last week<\/em>!\u201d remarked another. \u201cI was checking my WhatsApp messages while awaiting our turn at the PT meeting in my daughter\u2019s school, when her class teacher gently told me to keep the phone on silent mode. My daughter was so embarrassed and so angry she didn\u2019t speak to me for two straight days<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI accidentally put the dishes in the washing machine one day, engrossed as I was in viewing the Instagram pics!<\/em>\u201d confessed another of our always-distracted friend.<\/p>\n Perhaps you have also been called out for paying more attention to the phone, or for proving to be boring company as you preferred your phone to conversation at the restaurant or at a party? If yes, you definitely need to check your level of digital obsession.<\/p>\n If the number of \u2018yes\u2019 is 3 or more, it might mean that you are finding it tough to balance your digital life. You tend to give your device a higher priority in your life, sometimes at the cost of real relationships. Time to do a reality check Moms, because your social media obsession can have consequences.<\/p>\n Firstly, you need to keep in mind that children are good at picking up unspoken cues. Your phone obsession will tell them you are more interested in your virtual life than in them. They will feel neglected and look for approval elsewhere. While younger kids tend to hide devices, older ones may isolate themselves from you and you definitely don\u2019t want that.<\/p>\n Children may also feel embarrassed by your general digital habits including oversharing, sharing of embarrassing baby pics of them or being distracted during conversations and tiffs may arise, affecting the \u00a0general happiness of the family.<\/p>\n With hands busy on the smartphone, will it be possible for you to impart that very essential physical touch \u2013 the hug, the squeeze and the hand-holding when kids feel low? I think not. Neither will you be able to share their fun moments, even cartoons, and create teaching points for them, for your screen will be monopolizing your attention.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t distance yourself from your child. You are the adult, and you can identify your issues and change yourself. It\u2019s not too late, start making changes in your digital habits today! Remember, besides mothering your kids, you also need to guide them to follow good digital practices.<\/p>\n We are worried about the effect of the virtual life in our children\u2019s life but adults too are falling prey to the attractions offered by technology, especially the internet. Instead of engaging with family, grownups are often engaging with their devices, setting a bad example for kids. As parents, we need to take definitive steps to control our screen obsession and balance our digital lives.<\/p>\n After all, we want to set the right examples for our kids, right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The modern mom is super-efficient; she manages the home, her profession, family, and a hundred other things efficiently day in,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":674,"featured_media":116644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3973],"class_list":["post-90981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-safety"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a0Are you screen-obsessed?<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Be the digital wellness role model for your kids:<\/u><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n