Is Your Child Plugged In?

I have been thinking about this a lot in the past years and this weekend I was not able to get it out of my mind. It is something that worries me more and more with time. I am well aware that technology and other communication mediums are part of our daily lives and something that we all adapt to, especially the newer generations. It worries me so much though, how it is affecting the little ones, our kids and future generations. I see little boys and girls getting dropped off for preschool and they are connected to their car televisions. I see it every day. When I have asked the parents why they do this, their response is that it is the only way to get them in the car and take sit on their chairs. Please! We are talking about 18 month old babies to 5 year old kids! YOU are the parent. This is precisely the most important phase in their lives since it is in this first five years that the brain will develop and they will obtain 75% of their vocabulary. So you can imagine how I feel when I see this. I just look at the kids and say “They have plugged you in again!” and just like this example I have seen many; from a kid playing video games at the table, a 7 month old baby connected to an Ipad and a teenager texting. This is how we loose the ability and capacity to communicate.

I urge you all to start taking advantage of these moments with your children in the car to talk to them, to sing with them or even to learn a new language with them, just as I did when I first arrived to the US with my two year old. We sang so much that my vocabulary grew tremendously. More than anything, we can use this time to build a deeper relationship with them. Even now that I have two adult children and a teenager, I take advantage of opportunities like this to all ride in the same car and sing songs like “Our House” by Cosby, Still, Nash and Young. It is one of our favorites and we all sing along. We have so much fun with it! 

I see how plugging them is the EASIEST thing to do in order to avoid a tantrum or a fight. What we are not realizing is that we are fermenting  and creating a lack of tolerance in a child that is still our responsibility and in our hands. Sometimes we are in a hurry and don’t want to struggle, but but what its worth,  lets change this and turn these into quality moments with them. I can assure you that you will feel a lot better and that your relationship with your kids will deepen. 

So I close this post leaving you to think: Is your child PLUGGED IN?

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