Last night I was driving car pool home from a sports practice. I had three kids in my car, one mine. I told mine to put his phone away (firmly). Another boy had his out and the third didn't. So, my son and the one who didn't chatted away about some things happening at school. The third stayed on his phone playing a game grunting out one line phrases like "there you go, take that", "I did it" and such. The other boy without a phone asked the boy with a phone a direct question and he did not respond. Just face in phone. When we dropped the other boy without a phone off, he was waving like a chicken at my son and they were laughing making weird faces and the boy WITH the phone finally looked up and was like "what are you guys doing"?
He completely missed socializing.
Problem with phones.
I do notice (on the positive side) that we get a lot figured out with less argument when there is a resource at our fingertips to tell us how old Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson are (didn't they look awful in their movie together? Bad lighting, I hope), or where to turn for the restaurant on that winding little road. And now that my son has a phone, he can call us to find out where we are when we're driving up to pick him up in the school queue, no worries about whether we have forgotten.
But the thing that actually distresses me most about the easy access to phones is that parents seem to use them to ignore their kids. Many parents I've seen apparently would rather watch sports, play games or text to their girlfriends, even when with their kids. I at least TRY to attend to the things my son says, not have my face turned away to a screen and give absent-minded answers (if any). Kids hate it when their parents act like their computer is more fun than them.
On the plus side, you can let your partner know if you're running late and why, and when you'll be home.
You can text gentle reminders to not forget whatever at the store on the way home.
Kids can call their parents if there's a problem, or parents can call someone if the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere.
Let's not forget the people in the grocery stores that park their big old carts in the middle of an aisle and are on their phone and you cant get by them on either side so you say excuse me, nothing...EXCUSE ME, nothing......maybe you will notice when my cart meets your ankles!
On a serious note, i see young kids in the morning waiting for the bus at the mall (they come into the store and get their candy fix) Most of them have phones and are on them. Not many words are spoken as each of their heads are in their phones. Words are all getting abbreviated and i have to go to urban dictionary to read some of the sentences grown adults write, lol!!!
I just think it is sad when you see people with other people and one or both are staring at a phone. How lonely!!
Personally they drive me nuts. It may be due to working retail and having to WAIT for people to get off their phones to finish a transaction. What in the fat sh!t is so important that you have to be texting while someone is waiting on you? Let me add closing time to this now.....It is time to close and you are too busy being on your phone to realize you need to get your shopping done as we really do want to go home but you sit there and yack on your phone and THEN you shop when you are done......I dont need to hear your arguments either and if you feel the need then put the other party on speaker so i can be your judge and jury. Holidays..........put your flippin phone away. I promise you wont miss out on anything during the meal. Oh Oh and THEN...........once we realize you are on the phone we walk away as we are busy and have other things to do, waiting for you to get off your phone isnt one of them......soooooo you finally get off your phone and then EXPECT us to be right up in your grill helping you........Nice try Scooter. I better stop here as i think you get the drift of what i think......Oh one more........when you start walking outside and are on your phone NOT paying attention to traffic dont you dare give me the stink eye when i almost ram you in your APPLE. Rant over, just sign me going on 8 days in a row of working and it is very peopley out there and i am out of patience and cant wait for the weekend!