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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Life Experience
- Published: 04/01/2021
Your children are important
Born 1953, F, from Auckland, New ZealandChatting online to a friend she asks if I would like to meet up for coffee.
“That's a wonderful idea,” I said.
Two days later and there we were. Hadn't seen each other in ages and the mall was a great place to meet.
I order my coffee and she was a couple of minutes behind me as she was tapping on her phone.
Her little 8-year-old daughter Gina had joined me on a table by the window. We sat and chatted away until her mum joined us.
She had just been picked up from school and seemed very excited to tell her mum something very important.
My friend walks over and sits with us.
“Important message?" I ask.
“Oh yes, was just posting on FB that we were meeting up for coffee, so exciting.”
Small talk takes a minute or two. Looks at her phone 6 or more times in 2 minutes.
Then......
We sit in silence waiting for our coffee while she checks FB for likes on her new post.
Her daughter tells her mum how she got the highest marks in the maths test she did last week and had to stand up at assembly for a certificate.
Mum exclaims, “that's so exciting”. her daughter holds up a certificate and mum takes a photo and then looks at her phone to post the photo on FB and Instagram.
Every 30 seconds or so goes by and the phone is checked for likes and loves.
I look around the coffee shop. 3 college girls are sitting next to us, having their afternoon coffee fix.
No one talks, they all sit looking at their phones and tapping away.
They all giggle at the same time. It was then I realised they were chatting to each other via text while sitting together.
This is crazy I thought and without a word got up and left. Halfway up the escalator, I turned back to look at my ex-friend and she didn't notice I had gone. She was smiling at her phone.
I walked out into the carpark, got into my car, drove off and almost ran over a teenager looking at her phone. She walked out right in front of me and a man pulled her back onto the sidewalk.
She was heading to the school bus stop which was right outside the mall carpark.
There stood about 50 kids. Most were on one device or another while waiting for their bus.
The next day after I had removed the ex-friend from my FB I got a message telling me how rude I was.
This I laughed at.
So if that incident wasn't enough. Today I drove down the road with my husband.
I watched all the people in their cars driving and texting.
Saw 1 minor nose to tail.
But this idiot took first prize.
A driver, driving down the road steering with her knees and tapping away on her phone and taking a selfie.
This was my message to my ex-friend:
Mothers and fathers don't seem to realise that their children are far more important than how many likes they can get on their posts, how many weird selfies they can take, or how many friends they can add to their lists.
Spend time with your children while they are young. These are their memories that you are making.
Your children want you to interact with them on a personal level not through a device. Put your phones and computers away and give your child your time.
Time for your child is the most precious gift you can give them.
They will be grown up and have left the nest before you can blink an eye.
The End.
Your children are important(Gail Moore)
Chatting online to a friend she asks if I would like to meet up for coffee.
“That's a wonderful idea,” I said.
Two days later and there we were. Hadn't seen each other in ages and the mall was a great place to meet.
I order my coffee and she was a couple of minutes behind me as she was tapping on her phone.
Her little 8-year-old daughter Gina had joined me on a table by the window. We sat and chatted away until her mum joined us.
She had just been picked up from school and seemed very excited to tell her mum something very important.
My friend walks over and sits with us.
“Important message?" I ask.
“Oh yes, was just posting on FB that we were meeting up for coffee, so exciting.”
Small talk takes a minute or two. Looks at her phone 6 or more times in 2 minutes.
Then......
We sit in silence waiting for our coffee while she checks FB for likes on her new post.
Her daughter tells her mum how she got the highest marks in the maths test she did last week and had to stand up at assembly for a certificate.
Mum exclaims, “that's so exciting”. her daughter holds up a certificate and mum takes a photo and then looks at her phone to post the photo on FB and Instagram.
Every 30 seconds or so goes by and the phone is checked for likes and loves.
I look around the coffee shop. 3 college girls are sitting next to us, having their afternoon coffee fix.
No one talks, they all sit looking at their phones and tapping away.
They all giggle at the same time. It was then I realised they were chatting to each other via text while sitting together.
This is crazy I thought and without a word got up and left. Halfway up the escalator, I turned back to look at my ex-friend and she didn't notice I had gone. She was smiling at her phone.
I walked out into the carpark, got into my car, drove off and almost ran over a teenager looking at her phone. She walked out right in front of me and a man pulled her back onto the sidewalk.
She was heading to the school bus stop which was right outside the mall carpark.
There stood about 50 kids. Most were on one device or another while waiting for their bus.
The next day after I had removed the ex-friend from my FB I got a message telling me how rude I was.
This I laughed at.
So if that incident wasn't enough. Today I drove down the road with my husband.
I watched all the people in their cars driving and texting.
Saw 1 minor nose to tail.
But this idiot took first prize.
A driver, driving down the road steering with her knees and tapping away on her phone and taking a selfie.
This was my message to my ex-friend:
Mothers and fathers don't seem to realise that their children are far more important than how many likes they can get on their posts, how many weird selfies they can take, or how many friends they can add to their lists.
Spend time with your children while they are young. These are their memories that you are making.
Your children want you to interact with them on a personal level not through a device. Put your phones and computers away and give your child your time.
Time for your child is the most precious gift you can give them.
They will be grown up and have left the nest before you can blink an eye.
The End.
- Share this story on
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gordon England
05/22/2021we have a public plague from cell phones and your story nails it on the head. Not sure what to do. I confess I look often for doctor appts, surveys of any service you receive, comics now that I do not get a paper, some news, many business emails a day, the many people that work in our playhouse communicate exclusively by FB for all aspects of putting on plays, playing internet chess to retrain my brain injury, checking to see comments on Story Star stories, checking how many reads I get on Story Star, listening to podcasts, reading kindle books, etc. In the olden days we lived in small isolated towns and did none of the things above. I started writing a play about cell phones buried in an arm and people are connected to the world 24 hours a day. What is worse? too much info or not enough info? The answer is beyond me. when kids visit my house they must leave their phone at the door
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
05/22/2021I love the idea of leaving phones at the door, that's brilliant.
It really is a dilemma for all of us as we have come to rely on our devices.
It's nice to think back to where we have come from and how we survived without them though.
Thank you so much for reading. :-) have an awesome day.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gerald R Gioglio
05/02/2021Thanks Gail, I can sure identify given those in my circle who are addicted to devices. Not to forget your main concern about prioritizing our kids over technology. A message that needs to be repeated over and over. Congrats on your storystar award.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
05/02/2021Thank you very much Gerald. I very much appreciated you reading and commenting :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shirley Smothers
05/02/2021Thought provoking story. Too true and too sad. Many of us fall into this trap. Congratylations on SHORT STORY STAR OF THE DAY!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
05/02/2021Hey Gail,
For many, the phone is wired to work exactly like an addiction. FACEBOOK and Instagram, And others, hired brain scientiest to figure out ways to keep you tethered to your phone. Including a sneeky little bit where if anyone post a picture of you on any platform, you get a ding that someone posted about you...so how could you not look? LOL
My kids tell me all the time to keep my phone with me, and I tell them if something bad happens, the fifty people filming my distress will go viral, and word will get back to them.
On the other hand, it is more and more difficult to hide what you said, did, or feel...and that is making some good changes in my Country, and even started revolutions in others. We can only hope we find a balance. Iphone has a new thing that won't let you text while driving...and that is a step in the right direction.
Smiles, Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
05/02/2021Boy oh boy, I just spent a whole lot of my device time writing a reply to you Kevin and then I couldn't post it for some reason. Hehe.
Going to follow my own advice.
Thanks for your as always lovely comments.
Hope you are having a mountain of baby Van Hugo Quinn cuddles.
Sending big hugs to him. :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
05/01/2021Our children are indeed important. Thanks for the reminder, Gail. Happy short story STAR of the day! : )
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
JD
05/16/2021Happy short story STAR of the week, too, Gail! A lot of people really like this one. Way to go! : )
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Stephanie Egbert
04/08/2021The written sights you experienced, unfortunately, is the way of most peoples lives. Like you, It shakes me up. People are blind to the safety hazards... A well written story! Always, Steph
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Jason James Parker
04/05/2021Great work, Gail. Perfectly executed and extremely pertinent. : )
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Radrook
04/04/2021Very true. First the rdio, then the TV, now the Internet and the phones. Soon it will be being able to enter a virtual reality totally indisiguishable fro our own albeit far more exciting. Some will call it progress while others cosider it a curse. Unfortunaely self control based on proper evaluation of the things that are most impoertant is something that we humans tend to lack. Hopefully this will be remedied via a basic education-but seeing that the trend keeps getting stronger-I doubt it.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
04/04/2021Thanks very much for your comment.
A step backwards would be a good thing Radrook.
Have a great Easter :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
04/04/2021There's a lot of wisdom in this short story, Gail! I read your comment below about the girl driving with her knees while taking a selfie being true, and that is really alarming. She could easily kill someone and/or herself. And my guess is that there have been and will be many deaths associated with our new obsession with AI, from reckless selfies, distracted walking and driving, and suicide from kids who can't get the attention and caring they need because the others in their lives are too busy trying to get 'likes' and attention in all the wrong places, rather than giving their attention to those in their lives who most desperately need it.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
JD
04/04/2021That's insane! It's worse than driving drunk. If you kill someone because you crash your car into them while being distracted by taking a selfie of yourself driving with your knees, then you should be charged with murder, just like a drunk driver would be. But at least the drunk driver has the excuse of being drunk. While these insane selfie drivers are making a conscious decision to do something that risks their own life and the lives of others. What craziness. I agree... it's horrifying! : (
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
04/04/2021Actually, after I saw that incident I wrote it in a local forum and got a barrage of abuse and people telling me they do it all the time.
I was absolutely horrified and disappointed at the response I got . Sad that young people think they are indestructible and so irresponsible.
Thanks for reading :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
04/04/2021Hopefully stories like yours will help people see the error of their ways so they can make some course corrections before it is too late.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Karen Ross
04/02/2021Great story Gail = and sadly such a true reflection of the way we are these days ..... xx
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Aziz
04/01/2021Vrry deep idea behind this beautiful story. Artificial Intelligence seems to be destroying the human side of its creator and the issue is growing more serious. Well done Gail.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
04/01/2021Thanks Aziz, you are so right. I am thinking maybe the human race needs to take a step back from AI and appreciate what's in front of us. The scales have tipped a little to far.
Happy Easter, thanks for reading and your lovely comments. Have an awesome day my friend :-)
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Sylvia Maclagan
04/01/2021You are so right, Gail. Very well put. Thank goodness there were no cell phones or other gadgets when my kids were growing up. You were right to get up and leave them to their devices.
Happy Easter, Sylvia
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gail Moore
04/01/2021Thanks for reading Sylvia. It's only a fictional story although the part with the girl driving with her knees was very true and I'm sure the rest is true for many.
I get so annoyed when I see parents ignoring their children.
Yes, thank goodness our children grew up device free and were given 100% attention.
Happy Easter :-)
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