Shaddup Already!





















2005-03-24

Disconnectedness

I took my nephews to McDonald's today. Remind me not to do that again, would ya? Thanks.

Anway, we were sitting in the playroom area and this woman walks in with her son. He was probably between 2 and 3 years old. This woman was on her cell phone the entire time I saw her there. It was downright disgusting.

Her child stood near the playground area and just stared at his mom. It was obvious he was overwhelmed and felt more than a little alone. At one point, she yelled at him not to climb on something (the first time I heard her talk to him and that was about 20 minutes after they arrived). He peeked around a corner and just said, "I'm right here." He wasn't about to climb on anything and the look on his face at the idea of mom talking to him broke my heart.

Later on this happened:

Mom: blah, blah, blah, teacher, blah, can't use my own kid, he's too young, blah, blah, blah

Son: Mommy, I pooped in my diaper.

Mom: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, workshop, teaching, parent who will actually help, blah, blah blah

Son: (goes up to mom's table) Mommy, I pooped in my diaper.

Mom: blah, blah, blah, (to son) really? (back to person on cell phone) blah, blah, blah, I love you (she said this no less than three times during the conversation, it was seemingly out of the blue)

Son: Mommy, I pooped in my diaper.

Mom: Well, I don't have your diaper bag in here. Blah, blah, blah, My child will probably have severe attachment issues when he gets older, blah, blah, blah

She finally got up and went out to the car and got the damned diaper bag. She was talking on the phone the entire time.

Now maybe I'm not the person to speak out about this since I don't have a cell phone, but I find this to be a disturbing trend. People seem to be increasingly disconnected from the people they are spending actual, face to face time with.

Every time I've discussed this with a person who has a cell phone, I'm met with excuses and rationalization. For example, we were in a parent conference and the mom's phone rang. She answered it. It was obviously a call from her other child, so I could understand her taking it, but she didn't have to disturb the entire group by having a loud conversation at the table we were meeting at.

I said something to Thing 1 and she pretty much chewed me another hole. Whatever, I recognize the look that the kid we were meeting about got. I have that same reaction. My mom is constantly on the phone. And for whatever reason, the person on the phone ALWAYS gets priority over the person in the room.

Maybe that's what I don't understand. There needs to be some form of respect when you're using a phone out in public. I don't care about complete strangers, but if you're with someone, would it kill you to say, "Would you mind if I take this call?" Or how about turning the phone off. There's this wonderful new invention called voicemail. Try it, you might like it.

All I can say is my experience with my nephews was far more rewarding than that woman with her son:

Nephew J: Aunt Chelle, there were these girls, and G was chasing all of us.

Me: Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do with girls?

Nephew G: Yeah, sure.

Me: J, I thought you didn't like girls.

G: I like girls.

Me: Well, when you like girls, don't you chase them?

G: Yeah.

J: I like girls, but I don't chase them.

Me: You definitely chased girls when you were 3 like G. Do you have a girlfriend?

J: No-oooooo!

G: I do

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