“Look at ME when I’m talking to you!” I feel like I say this at least 37 times every single day. My son is in sixth grade and he has a phone. (Please, let’s not have the conversation about when kids should get a phone. We can hash that out another day.) Right now, I just want him to look at me when we are talking.
However, I realize that he isn’t the only one who does this. Almost everyone I speak with, informally, has their phone in their hand or nearby. Most of them are looking at their phone, while we are talking. I’m not a digital hater, I LOVE my iPhone and I’m an early adapter. I like to read books, check my Facebook, send emails, take pictures, play Candy Crush, but there’s a line.
There’s a point where we need to be courteous and give people our attention. I realize that kids have iPads and iPhones and video games in their hands pretty much from the time they are born these days. Those things aren’t really the problem.
The problem is that we, as parents, have not taught our kids politeness in the 21st century. It’s not our fault, we’re the first ones to confront this. Think about it, if your kids were born in the 2000, they are the first kids who have no idea what life without the internet is like. We’re the parents of these kids and we’re working through online etiquette and responsible social media interactions.
The bottom line is that we’re learning how to teach our kids to be polite. We need to remind them that people in front of them are real and deserve their respect. When someone is talking to you, look them in the eye. When you meet someone, look them in the eye. It is up to us to teach our kids not to be rude. It is a good idea to set time limits and go without our games and phones for a few hours on a regular basis.
I can’t get all the kids to look at me when I’m talking to them, but I am going to try my hardest to get my kids to look everybody, everywhere in the eye!
