I'm going to be completely transparent with you and let you in on a less flattering fact about myself. I spend too much time on my phone. So much so that I allow myself to be more focused on what is going on, on social media than in my own home.
I admittedly lose my cool on my children when they try getting my attention when I am reading something on my phone. Sometimes I will hold a finger up indicating I need a minute or tell them to "hold on." I'm unproud of this. I am disappointed I have become that kind of mom. I feel I am failing my children and doing them a disservice by teaching them that my phone is more important than them. I am teaching them this by my actions and let's face it, actions speak louder than words.
In efforts to correct my behavior, my husband and I decided to put away our phones this past Sunday. We let the family know they would not be able to get ahold of us so they wouldn't worry. We left our phones in our bedroom and enjoyed our day distraction free.
I could tell within an hour that the tone of our home was more pleasant. My husband and I were more attentive to the kids. Because of this, we were able to stop arguments from happening before it turned into kids yelling at one another and possibly having one throwing a fit on the floor. We talked more lovingly towards one another and were focused on conversations we had with our children. My mood all day was joyful. I wasn't comparing myself or family to anyone or anything. I didn't envy a vacation someone took or get angry over a political post. The day seemed to be longer and I found that I accomplished so much more than any given day when I had my phone on me.
I was happy with myself and encouraged that I could be a better mom and wife. We plan to continue with having the phone free Sundays. In addition, I will be working on using my phone a lot less. I want to keep the focus on what is truly important.
How do you limit your cell phone use? Any tips would be great!
No comments:
Post a Comment