I am so thankful for my dear friend, Brooke Dobberstein, who is guest posting today on a topic that just about all parents struggle with in 2017: our smartphone addictions. Here is her takeaway after 48 hours away from her phone.
Dear Smartphone,
I’m sorry but we need to stop seeing each other so much. It’s not you, it’s me. Wait, actually it’s both of us. You are very addicting, and I have very little self-control.
I hope you know that this isn’t easy for me. I like the quick fix you give me when I scroll through Facebook. I like seeing the pictures of other people’s babies, and I like knowing what my friends are up to. And I’d be lying if I said I don’t enjoy the validation I get from “Likes” and comments under my posts. Yet, I’m starting to think you are becoming a problem in the relationships that matter most to me.
Yes, I do have other people in my life. The most important people are my husband, my daughter, and my son. However, I seem to be spending more time with you than my family.
Let’s not even get started on how you are damaging my already horrible eyesight.
Remember that weekend I turned you off for 48 hours? You were sad about our temporary break, and I was too until those 48 hours finished. I realized how much I am missing out on when I am constantly spending time with you.
I’m sorry, I know I just offended you. You are not a useless machine or a complete waste of time. However, in the eyes of my family, you are. I truly enjoyed being free from you. I was able to be myself and fully engaged with my daughter. I felt like we were having a better connection instead of a fragmented play time. My son had my full attention while I was rocking him to sleep instead of me sneaking off with you. My husband and I had a meal together without you barging in. The overall happiness in my family seemed to increase and I felt refreshed.
You see, dear phone, you don’t need me like you think you do and I don’t need you like I think I do. What I need is my family, and they need me. They need me to be loving them as much as I can. And I cannot love them as well when you and I are always together.
This isn’t goodbye, this is a see you later. A see you later as in every few hours instead of every couple of minutes. You will find someone better than me, I know I have found someone better already: the souls I am meant to nurture.
Love,
Your Owner
If you enjoyed this post, I think you might also like…
Leave a Reply