Celling Out

     Upon a recent visit to our pediatrician’s office I overheard a woman lamenting the fact that so many children had their heads buried in cell phones. I paused to ponder what may be going through her mind. In a doctor’s office you have the luxury to ponder many things because you have nothing but time on your hands.
     Many things that aggravate people are generational. I didn’t have smart phones and Xbox as a kid, but was fortunate enough to play Atari PONG. I can only imagine what my elders thought of that contraption and how kids could just play it for hours on end. Come to think of it I’m now wondering how we did that. Patience is not a trait kids possess and that ball moved at the pace of December 26th to December 25th.

     The woman in the office thought today’s kids were losing the ability to use their imaginations. I disagree. Technology is allowing kids to imagine bigger and better than ever before. If you think kids should be drawing, well, they can do it on a smart phone. If you think kids should be reading, well, they can do it on a smart phone. If you think kids should be doing homework, well, they can do it on a smart phone (after hours of haggling over actually doing the homework).  I don’t really get Minecraft, but I can appreciate that it allows kids to engineer buildings and towns. The next great architects may thank Minecraft for getting them interested in designing.
     Perhaps the image of a kid staring into a cell phone is what threw off this particular person. I have no idea what these kids were watching or listening to on their phones, but isn’t that the very definition of judging a book by its cover? What if these kids were reading about the illness they were in the office to be treated for? I admit some of these kids probably hadn’t learned to read and were likely being entertained by some sort of cartoon or game. What exactly is wrong with that? I can guarantee I was a beast to be with as a four-year-old in a doctor’s office. If my childhood had included the smart phone age I know my Mother would’ve handed it to me in a heartbeat. She did not suffer fools easily and demanded hard work, but she was also smart enough to know a quiet child makes for a happy parent in most public settings. One can safely assume that if the pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock had smart phones they would’ve eagerly handed them over to children so they could more efficiently build shelter and plant crops to survive. I mean stick dolls and dirt can only entertain for so long.

     Folks from other generations also have an issue with kids on smart phones in restaurants. Again, this can involve long periods of waiting depending on your server or the kitchen. The first box of Crayola crayons debuted in 1903. Somewhere, decades later, someone had a “Eureka!” moment and decided to make crayons and kids placemats available. This was either a person who had kids and understood the dilemma or a person who didn’t have kids and could no longer suffer the endless whining and wailing.

     The problem with the kids kit is, like most things, an age issue. Toddlers and young kids will delightfully go to town on whatever maze or thought bubble is in eyesight and arm’s reach. Perhaps Tic Tac Toe works for that 5-7 age group, but as the kids get older a piece of paper and colored wax just don’t cut it. If I was smart enough I’d create the touchscreen table top. You could not only place your order by touching the menu items, but the table becomes one big smart phone. I’m sure this would have many issues such as condensation from a glass of lemonade, but I can dream.
     Kids haven’t changed so much as we, the parents, have. Kids will play with what we give them and for as long as they’re allowed. Who wouldn’t? Not to judge either way, but I have no problem with kids entertaining themselves with smart phones under certain restrictions. Put the phone or device away when someone is talking to you. Give it a break when your food arrives. Try, at least try, to find something constructive to do on the phone. Seeing a child on a phone in a doctor’s office, restaurant or other public place is really a snapshot in time. Well, many snapshots over a long period of time if in a doctor’s office, but still. Perhaps that was an agreed upon time between parent and child.

     Many of the same people who criticize kids for watching cartoons and silly games on a smart phone will rush home to binge watch Real Housewives of Somewhere. Seriously, is there any difference? And guess what! You can also do that on a phone. In a doctor's office. Please use earbuds.
     For every kid watching a YouTube video on pranks, there's an adult watching a cat video. Technology can't always be perfect.
     It’s up to parents to help the children make the phone smart.    
     My hope one day is that when I ask my son what he’s doing on his phone he’ll answer, “Working on a touchscreen table top for restaurants."