Monday, June 2, 2014

Put down the electronics, pay attention to your priorities

So I sat down for lunch in the cafeteria at work, and observed that everyone at the table but me was looking at their iPhones.

My parents came back from Florida for a weekend, and we visited them at their Manistee home.  My dad observed my son was looking at his iPhone, and said, "What's so interesting on that phone?"

It wasn't that my dad had a problem with my son having an iPhone, it was more him implying in a polite way that "I am right here, and you haven't seen me in three months."

I don't have a problem with people pulling out their electronic devices, as I'm guilty as anyone.  I don't have an iPhone, but I love my Google Chrome Book.  I spend no time on Facebook, but I spend a lot of time blogging.  Still, there is this thing called prioritizing.  It goes something like this:

  1. God
  2. Wife
  3. Children
  4. Other people
  5. Other things
I think other things can be broken down like this:
  1. Work
  2. Hobbies
The idea is when you get any of these out of order nothing works right, or you create little train wrecks, such as people getting mad at you.  

I think as a general rule that when there are other people around you should put them first, and put your electronics away.  If you have work to do, put your electronics away, unless it's part of your job.  

I mean, it's just common sense here.  

While we're on this topic, I think it's interesting that a recent study reported on by CBSNews suggests that parents spend an average of 11 hours a day on electronic devices, and this comes at the expense of time with children.  

The report noted: Researchers at the Boston Medical Center observed 55 different groups of parents and young children eating at fast food restaurants. The study found the majority pulled out their mobile devices right away, and, in turn, their kids tended to act up more.

It's common sense, folks.  If you get your priorities mixed up, your life will be mixed up and your kids messed up.  Electronics are great, although we must be careful not to get carried away. 

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