Put the Tech Away & Focus On Those Who Matter

The other day I heard on the news about a Second Grade teacher in Louisiana and a project she gave her students. She had them write about an item they wished had never been invented and four of her students wrote they hated their parents' phones and wished they had not been invented. These children were not anti-phones for any reason other than because their parents spent more time on their phones than they did talking with them. The teacher posted the children's responses to facebook and it was shared hundreds of thousands of times with teachers from across the country sharing similar stories.

In my book, about to be released, It is Impossible to Spoil Grandchildren, one chapter is entitled, "A Grandparent's Lap is a Place for Grandchildren; Not Computers (And This Goes for Parents, Too!) I am careful about not using tech when my grandchildren are around. I want them to know they matter the most to me, so I set my computer aside and focus upon them when they are here. We talk, play games, read books, watch a movie with popcorn (of course!) and just spend time together.

I know these three sweet boys with whom I have been so greatly blessed will be grown before I know it. I want them to know who and what matters the most to me. I want them to have memories of how tech was put aside and I listened to them when they were at my house, we played board games together, learned about how to love and walk with God and had fun. These are the memories I want them to have of their grandma - not memories of how tech always had my attention when they were at my house. I want them to know I love them, not just because I said it, but because I showed it by how I spent my time with them.

Whether you spend your time on a smart phone or a computer, please, when children are around, put your phone away and set the computer aside, so you are able to give your attention to and interact with the children. They matter the most, so be intentional with your time when you are together; don't waste it on what does not matter.

#grandmas #handingdownthefaith #itmatterswhatwedo #grandparentingonpurpose