{"id":5560,"date":"2012-11-12T16:15:08","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T14:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents-blog\/?p=5560"},"modified":"2022-06-22T10:30:08","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T08:30:08","slug":"is-my-iphone-obsession-making-me-less-engaged-as-a-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/parenting\/internet\/is-my-iphone-obsession-making-me-less-engaged-as-a-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"Is my iPhone obsession making me less engaged as a mom?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A couple of weeks ago I took my daughter to the park. She was unusually clean (it was 3pm on a Sunday), beautifully dressed and without her dummy. So it was a magnificent photo opportunity, of which I took advantage. Milla on the slide. Milla on the horsie thing. Milla on the roundabout. The only problem was, while I was photographing her, I wasn\u2019t playing with her. So it wasn\u2019t the outing it could\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

Then, we went to her playschool open day, and I made the decision to leave my phone in the nappy bag. Granted, I have no<\/em> photos of her playing, interacting, munching, exploring. But that\u2019s because I was with her. Getting covered in grass, play-doh, biscuit crumbs and other kids\u2019 sticky handprints. It was fun. For both of us.<\/p>\n

When telling a friend about the day I realised that I\u2019m so often tweeting about the cute things Milla does, facebooking the pics of her in the garden, pinteresting the button art I made for her room and imessaging all and sundry about her sheer genius, that she\u2019s playing alone. Or drawing on the carpet. Or nagging me to \u2018come thit here\u2019.<\/p>\n

My husband often says that he doesn\u2019t need to take as many photos of her as he used to, because he\u2019s experiencing her with his eyes, and that\u2019s better. I used to think he was just being lazy, but he could be right. My problem is finding the balance.<\/p>\n

To be frank, I\u2019ve relied on my phone for company in many social situations. Some people\/events are tedious\/scary, so I doubt that\u2019s going to change. But when I\u2019m with my kid, the phone, and its assorted apps, needs to be an extra \u2013 not the focal point. And once the photos are taken, and the memories captured, it\u2019s time for an iBan.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to know what you think. Are you one of those people who feels that recording the milestone is a big chunk of the joy, or are you feeling the need to switch off?<\/p>\n

\"phone<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to find a list of related articles on zaparents.<\/p>\n

This article was originally written for Jozikids by Tiffany Markman in 2012.<\/em><\/p>\n

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