You’ve likely seen a family, gathered around a restaurant table, all eyes on cell phones.
How did we get to this point?
Registered Psychologist Vanessa Lapointe, says distracted parenting is part of the problem.
She explains that as we connect to technology, we are disconnecting from our humans.
“If you can imagine the hundreds of times a day that they (children) are meant to be looking up and landing on the watchful, loving gaze of their parent’s eyes – instead landing on their parents whose eyes are on their cell phones.”
She says connection as a social species is a driving foundation of how we grow. How does that absence of connection impact our kids?
As a good starting point to addressing the issue, Lapoint suggests getting back to basics. And realize you haven’t ruined your child over device use - just start being more mindful of how often you are being pulled in the direction of your phone or social media.
And she adds, don’t be buried in guilt – be empowered by the science of child development.