Have you ever heard of the term “Parental Phubbing”?
It is the recently coined term for when parents ignore their children in favor of whatever is on their phones.
Anywhere you go you will see this happening, in malls, parks, or even just hanging out at home.
Another place it often happens is pick-up time from schools and daycares.
Children are ecstatic to see their parents after a long day apart but the parents can’t even be bothered to put their phones down for 5 minutes to say hello.
One daycare center located in Hockley Texas decided to take a stand.
They posted a controversial sign to their front door that told parents to get off their phones and greet their children.
“Your child is happy to see you!” the sign reads, “Are you happy to see your child??”
The staff at the daycare center had obviously witnessed parents ignoring their children often enough that they wanted to let it be known how important putting down the phone is.
The sign recalls how often children try to hand their parents a piece of some work they had done throughout the day, and the parents completely ignore the child.
Or children calling out “Mommy, mommy, mommy!” only to be brushed off because something on the phone is ‘more important’.
One mother, Juliana Mazurkewics, noticed the sign and realized she herself had been guilty of doing these things.
She took a picture of the sign before putting her phone away and greeting her child.
Later on, Juliana posted the image to her Facebook and it quickly went viral.
Some people loved the signage, while others hated it.
“I love this,” posted commenter Saundra Lloyd, “This should be in every daycare or school where kids are being picked up.”
“I’m a qualified educator,” Simone Campbell wrote, “and although I agree that parents shouldn’t be on their phones while picking up kids, I would never write such a disrespectful poster.”
“Some parents will always defend their wrongs,” Rose Littlejohn added, “No phone call is more important than your child’s feelings…period.”
Whether you agree or disagree with the fact that this sign so bluntly calls out parents, it is something that needs to be talked about.
According to an article on the subject from Very Well Mind, “When kids feel ignored, they can feel lonely, rejected, or depressed.”
The article describes how, when kids are feeling rejected, they are more likely to act out.
Whether positively or negatively, children will do whatever they can to get their parent’s attention.
“They will overcompensate… to get any type of attention.”
Though it is often teenagers and young adults who get flack for being on their phones too much, they learned that behavior from somewhere.
Parents are always a child’s first teacher, and they will copy what their parent does as they think it is ok.
If you want to have a stronger, more meaningful bond with your children, put your phones down and engage with them.
How do you feel about this controversial signage? Whether you agree or disagree, let us know in the comments below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
