Spring time birds were singing and the sun was beginning to shine. School was finished for the day and I was outside, raking up the front yard, welcoming the sunshine on my skin after a long (but lovely) winter. All of the younger children were playing around the yard or helping their father with our current outdoor household project.
Looking up from my raking, I noticed a neighbour, who I had recently met, had pulled into the driveway. She had come over to return something and we ended up chatting and getting to know each other a little better. With only a few weeks left in her first pregnancy, she had many questions regarding babies and having children in our current world (which is not the most positive time in history, as I am sure you have noticed).
“I was wondering, do any of your children have cell phones?” the young woman asked, obviously curious about a different way of life. Surprised, I said no and explained that I do not have a cell phone either – only my husband has one. “That’s great,” she replied. “My husband is addicted to his and it drives me crazy… he has to have it everywhere with him!”
I was saddened to hear this – with their first baby expected soon, I know how hard and detrimental it will be to their newly-formed family if the soon-to-be dad stays addicted to his smartphone.
In fact, it has really been bothering me lately to see so many parents and adults constantly on their smartphones, not to mention the younger and vulnerable generation. It really does not matter where or what the situation is, their fancy smartphone is easily slipped into their hands and time is quickly taken up by their scrolling and screen time. We have made an effort to explain to our older children why we do not want them to have a cell phone.
Ladies, do you recognize this nation-wide problem?
Do you understand how detrimental this smart phone addiction is to our children and to ourselves?
I do wish we could go back to the early 200s when smart cellphones did not rule the households. I still have a landline so if you want to call me, you may do so! No texting required!
If you do a quick study on the addiction of smart phones, you will see how dangerous they are, not to mention the radiation that is emitted from the devices. In many ways, your smart phone is mini computer and a telephone all in one. Can you imagine if we all carried a computer around with us so we can look up any information or watch a you tube video at any point in the day? Can you picture yourself bringing your home phone to a restaurant and putting it in your table and answering calls while you are out for dinner? What if you were on a canoe ride – would you take your home phone with you, lug it about and put it next to you in the canoe? Would you bring your computer to church so you could look up the latest news and report what is happening on the other side of the world?
Oh yes, cell phones are handy and can be very useful. Of course, they are; the technology is amazing and has been created so well – you do not have to think anymore as the smart phone does it for you. You do not need a library – just look it up on the phone. You do not need to write down any one’s phone number or even memorize it – it is stored in your phone. Who needs a cookbook when there are millions of recipes on your phone? You could argue how wonderful smart phones are and probably win that argument without much of a fight. However, what has the smart phone taken away from society? What has been robbed from our lives?
It has stripped us of our ability to communicate naturally. It has taken away the younger children’s desire to socialize in a real-life setting. It has removed decency and politeness (have you ever noticed how rude someone can talk to you in an email or text, when they would probably not speak so boldly to your face in real life?) in many situations. It has created learning troubles in little children and stunted their mental development. Teenagers are definitely at risk!
Cell phones have been designed to be addictive, along with social media sites such as Facebook, instagram and TikTok. Along with this addictive habit, it has a dangerous consequence on your health. It is particularly dangerous for your children.
I was in the dentist office this week – and sadly, I was the only person in the waiting room that was not looking at a cell phone. Instead, I took some crocheting and kept my fingers busy while I waited for my appointment. When my appointment was finished, I had the receptionist call my husband – ladies, I survived without a cell phone. 😉
Perhaps you feel you are mature enough and old enough to have a smart phone – but what about the younger generation that has never know the over adult generation to be without a cell phone in their hands? How does that affect relationships or even just the child’s view of the society? Is it so natural to have a cell phone in your hand that your child would not even consider life to be normal without such a device sitting beside their parent or grandparent’s plate at the dinner table?
As you can read, I feel very strongly about this topic. I know it is not a popular opinion and I may receive some negative remarks for stating my opinion.
I urge you to think and pray about this situation and prevalent addiction. It takes a lot of strength to go against the tide of modern society. Do you have enough courage to raise your children outdoors in the fresh air, indoors with books in their hands, playing like regular children, learning in a natural way? Can you survive – as a parent – without a cell phone in your back pocket?
Is it time to unplug that cell phone and go back to simpler living? We lived without smart phones before – can we do it again? I could only pray for such a day.
by Gigi
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