Bring Back Nice Challenge #3

Hi friends!  I'm bringing back the Bring Back Nice weekly challenges.  I had a person tell me that they didn't like them and felt that I should remove them from the page so I gave that some thought.  Then I decided that these are OPTIONAL and no one is holding you accountable but yourself.  If you don't like them, don't do them.  I, however, will still be posting them for people who do like them and find them helpful.

Challenge #3: Put Down The Phone!

I know!  I know!  I'm guilty too.  The siren calls of text messages, Candy Crush levels, and fun ideas on Pinterest call to me too.  I love my iPhone.  Passionately.  But you know what?  It's getting in the way of loving and respecting PEOPLE.

Have you ever waited all week to go on a date or to dinner with a person and the whole time you were out, they just stared at their phone?  How did that make you feel?  I'll tell you how it makes me feel.  I feel ignored.  I feel unimportant.  I feel awkward.  I don't appreciate having to repeat myself since people often aren't listening to you when they are on their phones.  I kind of feel like "why did we even bother to go out if I could have just texted you and gotten more attention that way?"  Then I usually end up on my phone because what else am I going to do?  I have no one to talk to.

It's a sad society we live in when a family goes out to dinner and every single person has their face buried in a phone.  What happened to conversation?  What happened to connecting with one another?  One of the major reasons that doctors advocate for eating family dinners is the conversation.  These conversations make your kids more connected to you AND kids who have regular family dinners are less likely to get into fights, be promiscuous, drink alcohol, take drugs, smoke cigarettes, etc... Do you think they are getting that when everyone is just staring at their phone?  My guess is no.

My family and my friends are the most important thing in my world.  The problem is that I'm not acting like they are because I'm busy looking at a screen interacting with people I've never even met or just playing a game.  Kids want to know you're paying attention to them.  They want to SEE your eyeballs.  (Ask me how I know.  ;) )  What is on your phone that is more important than this?

Also, can we talk about the dangers of being glued to your phone instead of paying attention to the other things you're doing?  In my state, it's illegal to drive and use your phone.  It KILLS people.  It's not nice to kill people.  I really don't appreciate people putting my life at risk when I'm in their car so they can check their Facebook and I REALLY don't appreciate when people do that with my kids in the car.  Is it really worth killing yourself or your loved ones to use your phone?  If it's an emergency, pull over.

Over this next week, I challenge you to put down your phone/tablet/laptop and look people in their eyes when you talk to them.  SHOW them that they are important and worth your time.  BE PRESENT.

Come join our Facebook community HERE.