Day Care Sign Gets Frank With Parents About Phone Use

Being a parent is hard work. But being a kid is hard work, too. And one day care center is going out of their way to make sure that their parents are taking their kids’ feelings into consideration and not phub them.

A daycare center in Texas posted this sign on their front door, and mom Juliana Farris Mazurkewicz snapped a photo of the sign and shared it on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP-sq-3g0v5/?tagged=getoffyourphone

The sign has sent ripples across the country among moms and dads everywhere. Some are saying that the sign is right on:

https://twitter.com/saulsberrynake1/status/827004444067897345

While other people feel like that the note is harsh:

https://twitter.com/jenniferanne21/status/826989466061529088

Here’s my take. Yes, kids need our full, present attention, and we are all guilty of being on our phones way too much. But let’s remember that many parents are using their phones to work remotely and stay connected to the office.

So, yes, a parent might be looking at their phone when they walk in the door, but maybe staying in touch via mobile is how they are able to actually be there to pick up their kid in the first place.

However, I am all for a reminder to be present and emotionally available for our children. But, perhaps, instead of a note that is aggressive and accusatory in nature, it would be better to hang up a sign that encourages mindfulness. Instead of assuming the worst of parents (“They are on the phone so they don’t care about their kids”), the sign could instead be a gentle reminder to breathe, let go and be present.

Or the day care could even institute a ritual at the end of the day where parents greet their children in a “no-phone-zone” and spend five minutes sitting and talking about their day.

Either way, we are all in this together and we all want the best for kids. Instead of being divisive, let’s lift each other up.

h/t: TODAY