One of my biggest pet peeves is watching a young child beg for his mom or dad’s attention when said parent is talking on a cellphone, and then getting swatted away as though he were a pesky mosquito.
Granted, most of the time I view these incidents, my daughter and I are at a park, restaurant or other public place, and I don’t know who is on the other end of the phone call. However, I still don’t think it is appropriate for the parent to walk away from his or her child, as though they weren’t related, just so he or she can better concentrate on the call.
I could see if the kid were screaming into the phone while the caller was trying to relay information about a dying relative or notify the parent that the family house was on fire, but the truth of the matter is that with the advent of the smartphone boom, most children don’t go 10 minutes without seeing their parent preoccupied by a mobile device.
Long gone are the days when parents taught children telephone discipline skills. If you grew up in the pre-smart/cordless phone days, you know what I am referring to. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as a phone that wasn’t connected to a wall. Back then, my brothers and I calculated to the eighth inch how far our family’s phone cord could stretch. When the phone rang and my mom answered it, we knew she would be preoccupied for at least a few minutes. That’s when my brothers would run amuck just beyond the telephone cord’s reach, plus the length my mom’s arm, which she would wave frantically while mouthing: “When I get off this phone…”
These days phones are designed so that the user is unhindered. He or she can move about effortlessly. For parents, that means being able to reach out and touch an unruly kid without the person on the other end of the call realizing what’s going on. However, this type of freedom also begets parents neglecting to teach children how to behave appropriately while they are taking a call.
If you are not giving your child the tools to behave correctly, then you absolutely have no right to smack him when he tries to divert your attention away from a call. It’s the parent’s responsibility to teach children proper etiquette, establish rules when mom or dad is on the phone, and set-up consequences if said rules are not followed. Punishments could range from a time-out to getting a privilege like dessert taken away. Whatever consequence you choose, be sure to properly communicate it to your child before the phone rings again.
Another tactic to use is positive reinforcement. Compliment your child when he or she allows you to speak in peace. Thank and hug him, or reward him with a five-minute extension of bedtime when he displays good behavior while you are on an important phone call.
How do your kids behave when you are on the phone? How do you react when they act up while you are on a call?
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