A recent survey asked children what they most wanted from their parents.

The answer was both a simple and an obvious one.  The children wanted their parents to spend less time on their mobile phones and more time ‘being present’ with their family.

Young children appreciate the power of the mobile phone many months before they are able to click on their own apps and listen to their favourite nursery rhymes.  They grow up knowing that as soon as the phone rings, their carer’s attention will immediately switch from engaging with them and that the carer may be distracted for some time afterwards.  Many children become adept at manipulation, seizing their power to draw attention to themselves as soon as the phone rings.

Mobile phones have created liberty and freedom of choice for all of us,  whether at home or at work.  Indeed many of us have become completely dependent on them for most of our waking time.

But how often do we pause and reflect how the phone is affecting our relationship with our child?

Some mobile users are adept at not allowing themselves to be controlled by their phone. Other users find it difficult not to answer when the phone rings.

What we can all of us do is be aware of the impact this may be having on our relationship with our children and on the valuable time we spend with them.

We can try to take a step back and observe our use of the phone when we are with them. We can explore the topic with them when they are old enough to discuss it and we can of course look at trying to control our phone usage rather than allowing it to control us.