uuhhh...eh....grr....if...I could just....get this soapbox over here...gasp tug

To all parents, I've got a bit of a public service announcement for you. When your small child comes to talk to you about anything, if they are telling you a story, is your head stuffed in a cell phone? Are you answering an obviously super important text messsage from your best friend Katy who said, anything like "I jst saw a grl w hr thong hnging out"? I know these things are important. They must be. Because do you know what message you are sending your child, when they can't have a converstaion with you where you aren't going tap tap tap...uh huh...tap tap tap...ooh i see....tap tap tap? You are sending them the message that "You are not as important as this text message? See child I am an ultra important person with many important "grown up" things to say to people and lots of people want to speak with me. Just take a ticket, and when I snap this thing shut it means you have a small, window of opportunity to impart your silly childhood tale." These children are going to grow up with a multitude of thoughts. One being" I'm not important" the second being, "If I have a cell phone and text a lot, that means I'm important-MOM I NEED  A PHONE" the third is " I have to do wild and crazy stuff to get my mom to stop texting and yapping on her phone so she will pay attention to me."

Are you tired of the "kids these days" thinking they are entitled? Not giving a crap about anything? Can you guess why that is? I can. I think they don't care because their ultimate role models don't care. No matter how many ways you try and slice it, if you are constantly ignoring your child for your cell phone, they think you don't care. And if you don't care about your children, there must not be much you do care about. SO WHY SHOULD THEY??

Furthermore, you are not soooo important that you have to talk on your phone in the car, in the bathroom, in a restaurant, at YOUR CHILDS SPORTS, DANCE, or SCHOOL events. Again? Message sent. What you do is not as important as what my friends have to say. Furthermore you are dropping the message on them that "It's ok not to pay attention to the world around you" "It's ok to, in the middle of dance class just go ahead and check your cell phone." "I'm so important I have to check my messages under my desk at school." WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???? WAKE UP!

If you aren't speaking to your 4 year old because your head is in your phone....what do you think is going to happen when she is trying to tell you that a boy is getting physically violent with her and needs help? Will she come to you? No, because she has been getting the message loud and clear for years. "I'm not important. He can just beat me and no one will help me."" I can't talk to my mom" and the killer, "I"m not talking to her, she won't understand and besides it's not like she'll listen."

So to end my tirade, put the thing away. You are not as important as you think you are. Your family and children are. The world around is. GET A GRIP. Your children need you. The whole you. NOT the text messaged, edited version.

Taking a bow and stepping down.