Proverbs 22:6 (NET) – Train a child in the way that he should go, and
when he is old he will not turn from it.
When it comes to children and smart phones, I have mixed
feelings.
To be honest, it bothers me when I see children spending time
with their phones instead of interacting with each other.
I will admit that part of that is due to my age, but deep
down I feel that interaction between people should not take a backseat to
interaction with a device.
At the risk of sounding judgmental, I have discovered something
that bothers me even more: parents who interact with their phones rather than
their children.
In one day alone, I witnessed three separate events that caused
me concern.
The first incident occurred as I sat in waiting area.
A young mother came in with her child in a carrier.
The moment she sat down to wait, she immediately got out her
phone.
She became engrossed with it and never interacted with her
infant child while I was there.
The child never took her eyes off her mother.
I pitied this child.
These formative years are critical and the stimulation of the
mind is crucial.
Later that day, I stopped at a restaurant for lunch.
As I enjoyed my coffee, a man and his young daughter sat down
at the next table.
The moment the father placed their order, he got out his
phone and became engrossed with it.
The young girl just looked at her father as he stared into
his phone.
Eventually boredom set in and she began to sing a little
song.
She began singing quietly at first but sang louder with every
word.
Suddenly she realized how loudly she was singing,
She became self-conscious and abruptly stopped.
She looked around to see if anyone had noticed.
We made eye contact and I offered her a smile.
She gave me hers in return.
Eventually I finished my coffee and returned to my car.
As I prepared to leave, the door of the restaurant opened and
out came a man with his very young son.
The man held bags of food in one hand and was pressing his
phone to his ear with the other.
As soon as they walked out the door, the boy bolted and ran across
the parking lot.
I cringed as a car entered the lot.
Fortunately, the driver was able to stop in time.
I am now more concerned for today’s children than ever before.
I pray for them.
Scripture reminds us that it is important to train children.
It also reminds us that the seeds we plant today will bear
fruit tomorrow.
If that is the case, what does it have to say about the seeds
we fail to plant?
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
