Mummy Loves Her Phone More Than Me

                          Smartphones have seen the rise of a new breed of mum.

The 'Phone Before You' mums or PBY mums (as I call them) are everywhere and spreading like a virus.

They start to show symptoms in the maternity ward.

Once they return home with the new addition to the family, the symptoms of PBY really start to kick in.  Behind closed doors they constantly check their phones, updating, taking selfies or recording video's of their child behaving badly to put on You Tube.  Too busy to play, or read a story and for them bad behaviour is a mystery which leaves them texting other PBY mums for advice.

Sometimes you see PBY mums in shops.

 I spotted one in my local Tesco.   A small child, sitting in a trolley was trying to show his mum something.  He tried pointing, with "look, look"...mum was on her phone.  The "Look, look" started to get louder and still mum ignored him.  So what does a little chap do, to get his mums attention?  He screams blue murder which made mum cross and she told him off!

PBY mums love going out with their phones and children too, of course!  Sometimes the phone becomes so intoxicating that they forget where they are and what they are doing.

PBY mums happily visit parks, phone in hand, they may even let their little one have a fiddle too! Feeding the ducks may have seemed like a good idea, but once Mickey says "Hi" on mums phone, forget it!

Play areas and picnics are cool too with the PBY mum.   Finding a comfy place to check her phone, she can let her children have the freedom to do what they want.

PBY mums like going toddler groups.  Here they can sit with a cuppa in peace and update their status.  Toddler, World War Three might have have broken out around them, but in Smartphone world the PBY mum is totally oblivious.

PBY mums enjoy meal times at home.   Sitting in front of the TV, or if it's a special occasion at a table (if they have one) It gives them yet another opportunity to check their phones.  They may feel a bit guilty that their little one feels left out, so buy him an iPad!

PBY mums have no concerns about taking their children to restaurants.  You can easily spot her family... all heads down and not a sound to be heard...The PBY mum updates her status "The best behaved children ever".

At the school gates PBY mums are an anti social lot and completely absorbed in the world of the Smartphone.   Younger children are left unsupervised and school children are greeted by a mum reluctant to look up from her phone.

Parents who constantly fiddle with their mobile phones in front of their children are guilty of "benign neglect" and risk driving them to a lifelong dependency on screens (The Telegraph)

"Learning to read people's faces and expressions and body language is absolutely essential in order to develop empathy." (Sue Palmer, author of the book Toxic Childhood)

Children need parents to nurture and value them.   I can't really understand why parents would not want to interact, talk and listen to their children.😕  No one said being a mum is easy and you really have to work at it.  The truth is that your child's needs really do come first. 

Talking and sharing experiences is so important for developing good communication skills.   Parental supervision helps children to explore safely, make sense of the world and learn about social rules.

We all rely on our phones too much and I even take mine to the loo!  I get panicky if I leave my house, without my phone.  How did we cope without them, back in the day?
As a grandma though I'm thankful that my children were brought up without them, and that today's children need protecting from them. 

I think the treatment of PBY is evolving, early days but there is hope! 🙂   

 

If you're a mum who is developing symptoms of PBY then wake up and smell the coffee!

                                       PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN

Children are loving, demanding, inquisitive and fun.  They thrive when people are interested in them and give them time.  Children grow up so fast and their memories should be about a mum who loved them first before her phone. 💙🌝