Eliminate the Cell Phone

Dear Micah and Liam -

I'm writing this to you in the year 2012.  Undoubtedly when you read this, it will be at least 2022.  The times, they will have a-changed.  And that will sound even more dorky then than it does now.

One of the things that really bothers me today is the use of cell phone.  It's a necessary evil, for sure, but even worse is that it has become a pervasive evil.  More and more I am seeing people who cannot be separated from their phones.

People on a date in a restaurant who are more concerned with the people they're talking to on the phone than the person they're trying to get to know who's right across the table from them.

People in stores who can't be bothered to get off the phone, even to check out and interact with the cashier.

Parents picking up their children from daycare who would rather talk to someone else than to the children that they haven't seen all day.

People checking texts all throughout soccer games and dance recitals, and paying more attention to their updates on Facebook than the action in front of them.

And these are just some of the things that I see now.  It's mean, hurtful, and it speaks to the epidemic in our society of not being present.

There is an expectation in 2012 that everyone will be available to everyone else whenever, wherever and for whatever.  That's not right.  I hate to think this problem will get worse, but I'm not sure how it can't.  With the proliferation of texting and IMing and the like, it seems like there's no way out of accessibility.

You have a right to privacy.  You have a right to disconnect. Please stand up for yourself, and your right to live your life without constant interruption.

When you're dating, know this about your date: more than anything, a woman wants to know that you are interested in her, that you are paying attention to her, that you care about what she cares about.  You can't possibly do that for her if you are looking more at your phone than you are in her eyes.

At the end of the day, the job won't love you and neither will many of the friends that it's so important to keep in touch with.  The job won't run to the door with a big smile yelling, "Daddy!" Set limits in your job, no matter what the job is, so that you know that the people you love know that they are number one.  Set limits in your relationships with those less important than your family and closest friends so that those to whom you are very close will know that you treasure them in a very different way.

So here's my request of you.  Please put down your phones.  When you take a girl on a date, focus on her and pay attention to her.  When you have a family, focus on them and pay attention to them.  Do it because it's the right thing to do.  Do it because it shows them how much you care.  Do it because nothing means more than knowing that you're being listened to by someone you love.

Love,
Mom