Would You Like Some Super Glue?

The other day I took my kids to Hollywood Connection to take advantage, yet again, of our Passes of All Passes.  Those things have been awesome!  Anyway, I didn't have my husband with me, so I had to stay with the 3 year old and had some time to sit around on my pockets while she played in the indoor play structure.  I didn't have a book with me, so I had the chance to observe the people around me.

I like watching people.

I know, that's kind of creepy.

So, I noticed that a TON of people were glued to their cell phones.  GLUED!

I actually took notes.

4 out of 6 parents on the Merry-Go-Round were playing on their phone instead of enjoying the ride or even paying attention to their small child.

Roughly 50% of the people who walked by had a phone in their hand.

75% of the parents in the playland were glued to their screen.  I was the 25%. I was glued to staring at them while they spoke to their kids without even looking up.

We could really save some muscles just by super gluing everybody's phone to his/her hand.  Even when they weren't using them, people had their phones in their hands.  Um, are we afraid of looking fat from phone bulge in our pockets?

I don't know.

What I do know is that I am sometimes guilty of this too, although not usually with my phone. My phone doesn't have internet or any games.

But, my Kindle Fire can be just as distracting.  It's easy to be stupid while using electronics.  The computer lures me away too.  Sometimes I wonder if my kids will remember all of my parenting happening from the computer chair.  I hope not.

Hey, I don't have a problem with a parent playing games or facebooking while the children climb on the slides, but doing it on the merry go round seemed a little extreme.

Maybe these devices are already superglued?

Maybe people feel naked without them?

Maybe we don't even need buildings to go to to entertain ourselves if we can be completely satisfied with a little magical black box.    We can just interact with other people who aren't really with us, and ignore the really short ones that live in our houses.

Hmm.  Maybe that is a bad plan.

It was scary, you guys.  I know how easy it would be for me to become one of those parents.  I've been known to have my nose in a book and not even hear what my daughter was asking me.

We need to run screaming away from these phones!  Put them down!  Put them in a purse, or in your pocket, or leave it in your car, and pay attention to the people that you are hanging out with.  Okay, I'm almost done with my lecture.

We already have people walking around looking like the Borg with Bluetooth ear attachments,  apparently talking to someone, but looking like a nutcase. Will we get our phone screens implanted on the backs of our hands next?  I'm sorry. It's just creepy.  It's a lot creepier than me watching the people with their eyes glued to their phones instead of watching the joy on the face of their little one.

Okay, I'm getting off this computer right now to go pay attention to my kids.