I am going to suggest we all put away our smartphones, except for actual phone calls. Everywhere we go, we see other people engrossed in their phones, and to be honest it is annoying when it is someone else. But are we examining our own use, are we being an example for our children, and are we becoming lax in allowing our children unlimited use of smartphones, just because it keeps them out of our hair?
There is no reason we need to stay tied to our phones, our children are at home with us, so we do not need them for emergencies and our children do not need them. If children are missing their friends, a good phone conversation would be a welcome change.
I remember a few years ago, I invited a relative over for dinner, he spent so much of the evening texting other people and checking his phone, I was happy to see him leave. Do we ever think about the message we are sending our family when we are constantly on our phones? We are letting them know someone or something else is more important than them. Consequently, our children are modeling our behavior, resorting to their phones for interaction and entertainment. Is this the way we want to be treated?
Our children are watching our actions and seeing what is really important to us.