Don’t Condemn the “Cell Phone Mom”

Don’t Condemn the “Cell Phone Mom”

I am not a big “ranter,” but in this rare case, I can not hold my tongue any longer. The past few days I have seen more and more posts in my Facebook feed about how horrible “Cell Phone Mom’s” are. You know the ones, those moms who are at the park staring down at their cell phones while their children play happily. The ones that are brushing off and ignoring the “Hey, mom watch this! Hey, mom look at me!” from their children. I am probably going to get hate mail for this post, but it is something I feel that needs to be said. (P.s., you can contact me through here if you are one of those people.)

I was always taught to never judge a book by its cover, and I feel that those who are condemning the cell phone mom are doing just that. Do you know that person? Do you know what they are looking at on their phone? I will admit, that at times, I am a cell phone mom. I have to be, if I want to continue to maintain my family’s lifestyle. I work from home, go to school full time from home, and I have to stay connected. I choose these things so I could be at home with my children. I can not tell you how many times I have gotten the “Oh, it must be nice to stay at home all day and not have to work.” Those who have never stayed at home may not understand what goes into staying at home. Yes, I may take my children to the park so they can burn off some energy while I try to get some work or homework done. Does this make me a bad mother? Would you rather me keep my children cooped up in the house all day while I sit in front of my computer to get these necessary tasks completed? To me, doing that would make me a bad mother.

I am lucky enough to be able to spend 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with my children. I love watching them learn new things, and grow before my eyes. I could not do this if I worked outside the home. So yes, I am a cell phone mom sometimes. Before you pass judgement on a cell phone mom, step into their shoes. Is that mom texting her husband who is deployed or away from home? Is she burnt out from being home with children all day and just needs a little time to catch up with a good friend? Is she multitasking and working while her children enjoy the outdoors?

Don’t get me wrong, I do unplug and spend real quality time with my children. The weekends are “no tech” days where we spend all of our time together. We craft and play all the time, and I watch them blossom and grow into little adults. But, sometimes, multitasking and getting outside is the only way I can get things done that need to be accomplished. Does this make me a bad mother? I don’t think so, but apparently others seem to think so. Sometimes, we as mothers pass judgement on each other too quickly. We are supposed to support each other, not condemn each other. So, next time you see a “cell phone mom” at the park, think twice before judging.