Family mealtime took a hit this weekend and R&R took note.
By Cami Beiter
This weekend called for a Saturday afternoon Real & Random lunch meeting. Wendy was feeling fishy so we headed to Meadow, a yummy sushi restaurant in Simsbury. Welcomed by a friendly hostess, an invitingly warm room and a busy chef rolling Maki we made our way to a window table. It was early for the lunch crowd so for the first 30 minutes we shared the place with only a few other patrons.
Ahhh, the peaceful retreat of a nice restaurant. We settled in.
“Da, Da, Da, Da, DORA!”
The restaurant instrumental was drowned out by an annoyingly familiar tune.
Like dogs hearing a whistle we sat up and gave each other a quizzical look.
The television in the restaurant bar wasn’t on. And if it were, I sincerely doubt Dora The Explorer (an educational animated series) would be the choice of programming. I looked over my shoulder, searching for the source. In the corner table sat a young couple, doting over their four-year old and his enormous iPad. What’s this? A restaurant of patrons must sit and listen to their child’s animated preference?
And although I tried to ignore it, I couldn’t help but glare, hoping to make eye contact with Clueless Parents One & Two. No takers.
“Da, Da, Da, Da, DORA!”
Sigh.
The place started filling up right about the time the edamame arrived and the sound of low conversation covered up the preschool theme songs.
At one point, Wendy excused herself to the restroom. To fill the void of her absence and temporary lack of laugher, I chose to stare at the clueless parents, still wrapped in their own little world of unified kinder-catering. Still no takers or acknowledged eye contact. I was being ignored.
Wendy quickly returned and spotted my annoyed laser-beam pointed at the offenders. “You think that’s bad, there’s a table over there with two kids…each with their own gaming device.” To confirm the findings, I discreetly got up and slowly walked by the table of tuned-out patrons. Parents sat silently while skimming over menus. Each child resembled motionless zombies, glued to their blinking screens of digital bouncing fruit and auto racing.
When their sushi arrived, the children were not required (or told) to turn off their screens. There was no inclusion, nor family conversation.
Since when can a family not sit down in a restaurant without the distractions of handheld mind occupiers? I guess parents don’t want to be bothered with the task of stimulating the minds of their own children.
There was no improvising. No drawing with broken crayons and wrinkled coloring books. No playing “Hangman” with napkins. No discussions of upcoming birthday parties or school conflicts. Some of the best kid-conversations come during a meal-time lull.
I understand that we can’t avoid, or shelter, our kids from the distractions of technology and its devices. Sometimes technology is a tool to use briefly in those situations. But take note of the word brief. What concerns me is the loss of important family meal time. When we should be engaged in the family rituals of “How was your day?” and even sibling bickering.
How can parents hope to connect when the kids are disconnected? The least we can do is pack them away at meal time, especially when the spicy tuna roll arrives.
Cami, you are right on with the electronic devices.
Cami,
Seen this many a times and I shake my head too. I mean, how are children going to learn table manners and how to interact with others?