WAKE UP! Your kids are addicts.
This is so important and something I always want to talk to clients about but just don’t have the time to in a session. I am seeing this as an epidemic energetically and it is going to cause a huge crisis. People need to be made aware that the TV, gaming devices, YouTube, and cell phones should not be used as a way of keeping your children out of your hair or entertained so you don’t have to deal with them. They need the sense of family that only in person, face to face connection can bring. They are being cut off from the interaction and socialization that they need to develop into functioning adults.
Would you whip out a bottle of alcohol and tell your child here, have at it? Hopefully not. You would be aware that as a child or adolescent you are setting them up for addiction. PLEASE realize you are doing the exact same thing by allowing them to spend time on these electronic devices.
It is one thing to have a cell phone to call home if you have an emergency but rather than eating their lunch at school they are spending that time on their cell phone either gaming, texting or talking. They are going without the nutrition they need.
In a healthy family there are boundaries, kids have parents for a reason, you are supposed to be the one with the common sense to say “you have 30 minutes” a night to use their cell phone or other devices, other than that it is homework and family time, AND STICK TO IT!
On weekends you may want to give them an hour a day. But realize, they are growing up lacking the skills they will need to function as an adult if you are allowing them to binge on electronics.
Please, do yourself and your kids a favor and watch this video.
Put down your devices and be a parent. Kids imitate what you do not what you say. To many parents are self absorbed and spend their life on their devices and kids are noticing and saying “my mom/my dad doesn’t even care about me, they are always on their computer”. “They don’t even watch my game when they come, they are just on their phone”. The time with them goes by so quickly and you are missing it and they are missing an essential part of what they need to function and grow into a self confident adult. Be there for them, spend time with them, enjoy them while you still can.
Children are committing suicide at rates we have never seen before. Parents have no clue what is going on in their lives because they are so preoccupied with themselves and tied to gaming and electronics.
This may be harsh and some may unfollow me but I don’t care. I care about what society is becoming and the lack of parenting that kids are receiving, they deserve better.
You may look at a kids that is doing drugs or that has become addicted and say what kind of parents did they have, well look in the mirror. Being addicted to electronics is just as devastating to the child, the family and society as a whole.
Get outside, play basketball, ride bikes, go hiking with your kids. Keep them occupied with things that are healing and develop them mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. That is what you signed on for as a parent.
We can do better.
Your family deserves YOU.
Spirit kicked back in after I got this far and said “don’t leave them hanging” so you may be saying “OK, if not electronics then what? What is good for my child, what are some things we can work on together that will build the skills they need? Here is another article I read and it has great content, I had nothing to do with it but spirit led me to it. It has great recommendations for gifts for your children that will actually be building blocks for the development they need.
This is a little long for a blog post but you and your family are worth putting in some time for, right?
Get them what they need, not what they think they want. Once they start using these toys they will love them.
We have to get out of the quick fix mode and into the development mode for our children’s sake.
Mary Beth, this was a great article. It was full of extremely useful information for any parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or anyone who is involved with children. There are several links to continue reading a plethora of information and advice, if you wish to. Thank you for the information.
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it. I have studied it extensively as I see it all around me. Blessings
Thank you Mary Beth, I can definitely see the wisdom in this article. My daughter is 21 yrs old and a good young adult but not without things to work on 🙂 As she was growing up I was struck by advertising showing happy, beautiful children modeling beautiful clothing, shoes, etc in passive modes, leisure as if this was the message of the well to do to which they were to aspire. Actually the majority of the imagery that was fed to the youth of her age in magazines was that. Models and celebrities in very expensive clothing not particularly engaged in anything. It has been a large effort to raise awareness, engage and try to pry her away from the internet and cell phone but no one in our orbit has recognized this subversive influence (they are often too busy absorbed in their own “internet”, until I read your article. Thank You!
Your welcome Maureen. Yes, I understand what you are saying. I look around at restaurants and no one is paying attention to or watching the kids, the parents have their nose buried in their cell phone and the kids are terrorizing the establishment or the whole family is engrossed in their phones with no interaction so all they are being fed is marketing. It breaks my heart the lack of real interaction that families have today.