By Leon Ford
I am on my phone! Or I can’t live without my laptop! Lord, please let me get home to my tablet.
A trend has really been developing where technology has been stealing family time and breaking up families as well. Families have been allowing technology to creep in and take over the minds of their children, teens, young adults and adults alike. Children no longer see the need to go out and play together because the x-box and Nintendo’s brings this reality to them in the form of images remarkably put together in the form of games. Family time has to compete with this and right now technology seems to be winning.
Parents are communicating with each other in homes on WhatsApp, Skype and other social Medias. Everyone has a smartphone or tablet at the dinner table while eating and to make things worse instead of talking with each other they are talking to others outside of the family.
In the sitting room or living room laptops and phones are the order of the day and eating a snack is done robotically because all eyes are on the technological equipment. Family members can now watch individual movies while they sit in one room. Thanks to Wi-Fi the family can now live on the net when they are home.
The solution is simple and Mom and Dad as the head of the household need to empower family time and make it as effective as before. No technological device at the dinner table so the family eat and speak together when in the sitting room as a family put away all devices that will detract from the family and play family games like checkers, cards, dominoes, monopoly and Uno. The entire family can watch one movie together as well. As a family play game, outside in the yard as well and these could include football, baseball, skipping, basketball, tag and a variety of others.
It’s time to take back what technology is taking away from us as a family because we need these core values to keep our family together for the future. Technology has its place but it can never replace family time it should enhance it. During this season while we are on lock down technology is our form of entertainment but let us not forget its a time for bonding so spend time to talk and interact with each other while we are in our healthy homes. Remember to stay in and stay safe.