They steal from us the time of sleep, rest, communication with loved ones. Our smartphones have become more important to us than our children and grandchildren. Psychotherapist Christophe Andre hopes for the younger generation and considers them less dependent on gadgets.
The first story takes place on a train. A girl of three or four years old draws, sitting opposite her parents. The mother looks irritated, it seems that before leaving there was a quarrel or some kind of trouble: she looks out the window and listens to music through headphones. Dad looked at the screen of his phone.
Since the girl has no one to talk to, she talks to herself: “In my drawing, mom … She listens to her headphones and is angry, my mother … Mom listens to her headphones … She is unhappy … «
She repeats these words several times from beginning to end, glancing at her dad out of the corner of her eye, hoping that he will pay attention to her. But no, her father, apparently, is not at all interested in her. What happens on his phone captivates him much more.
After a while, the girl falls silent — she understood everything — and continues to draw in silence. Then, after about ten minutes, she still wants a dialogue. Then she manages to drop all her things so that her parents finally talk to her. It’s better to be scolded than ignored…
The second story. … The boy turns around with a displeased look and goes to talk to his grandfather. Coming up with them, I hear: “Grandfather, we agreed: no gadgets when we are a family!” The man mumbles something without taking his eyes off the screen.
Incredible! What is he even thinking about on a Sunday afternoon, fiddling with a relationship-busting device? How can a phone be more precious to him than the presence of a grandson?
Children who have seen how adults impoverish themselves with smartphones will have a more intelligent relationship with their gadgets.
Time spent in front of smartphone screens is inevitably stolen from other activities. In our private life, this is usually the time stolen from sleep (in the evening) and from our relationships with other people: family, friends or spontaneous (afternoon). Are we aware of this? When I look around, it seems to me that there is no …
Two cases that I have seen upset me. But they also inspire me. I’m sorry that parents and grandparents are so enslaved by their gadgets.
But I am glad that children, who have seen how adults impoverish and belittle themselves with these devices, will maintain a much more careful and reasonable relationship with their gadgets than older generations, victims of marketing, who are successfully sold an endless stream of information and devices for its consumption (“ Whoever is not in touch is not quite a person”, “I do not limit myself in anything”).
Come on, young people, we’re counting on you!