Should you be on the phone during your child’s game?
July 2, 2012
Should you be on the cell phone at your child’s game?
A few weeks ago, a parent asked me what I thought about cell phone usage and texting during a game. He was a coach and recently emailed this request to the parents of his team:
Unplug your phones! Kids sports are about having fun, and because kids take their behavioral cues from you, try to at least look like you’re enjoying yourself. If your child sees you texting or talking on your phone during a game; later ask them if it bothered them. You may be surprised. While you may have important business obligations, make sure you’re not plugged in during your child’s game. Bring your own snacks like: peanut in the shells, sunflower seeds, etc. Share them. Make friends; have fun and remember, watching kids’ sports tend to be a social affair, so enjoy the game! There is no rewind or retrieval button when it comes to these moments.
I’d like to hear your opinion on this one…
From Kids in Sports | Character Building | JBM Thinks, post Should you be on the phone during your child’s game?
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Twitter: boutdrz
July 2, 2012 at 7:56 am
I will often txt and tweet while my stepson is on the bench. When he is on the court or on the field, my attention is on him. While I am not a fan of either football or basketball, I am a fan of him, so I watch when he is in play. Otherwise, I have no interest.
Gene, I think a lot of parents probably do that. I know I did! I used to text game updates to my college daughter when she was away and wanted to know what was going on at her brother’s games.
Twitter: bluefieldscom
July 2, 2012 at 4:13 pm
I personally think having parents talking on the phone is a really frustrating thing for the players. What’s the incentive of playing hard if the parents aren’t even engaged in the match?
Fred, you gotta wonder what the kids think about their parents talking or texting….
Twitter: bluefieldscom
July 2, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Exactly. The most ironic part about this is that we’d flip out if our kids sat in on a business meeting and texted their friends while we talked. Yet, it’s fine for us to text during their most important moments.
lol..think you’re right about that!
I don’t know, I think it depends on the sport and how much your child plays. My kids play so many games that I inevitably have to sometimes text or talk while they are playing. It’s one of my favorite things in the world to watch them play (or even practice!), but sometimes other things must take priority. Mom and Dad have to pay for all those games/equipment/coaches.
I think it’s good for kids to know that they aren’t always the center of the universe. I hope that they are playing for the love of the sport- not just because I am watching.
All that said, it’s pretty rare for me to talk or text while they are playing…except to text others the score.
Lisa, I think it does depend on the circumstances. I guess what this coach was trying to avoid was parents all talking and texting and not paying attention to their kids’ games. I actually don’t know that it was really his job to suggest it; he’s not coaching the parents, he’s coaching the kids! But who knows what he saw that prompted him to ask them to refrain.
I was thinking about this more and I envisioned the mom or dad in a business suit not paying any attention to the game at all and talking on his phone. That would be a bummer for any kid!
There’s this strange dichotomy between the helicopter/mamarazzi parents who over analyze their kids’ every move and the parents who are totally disconnected and would rather talk on their phone than watch the game.
That coach must have had an overwhelming amount of disconnected parents!
Yep, parents need to just be aware of what their kids are feeling and thinking. I would never say don’t text or talk on the phone. I would just say be aware and be involved in what is going on and be sure your child knows that you are engaged in what they are doing.
You making a lot of assumptions about WHY a parent is texting or talking during a game. My husband texts me game updates during our daughter’s basketball game every few minutes b/c I am not able to attend due to our having to stay home w/ our son who has special needs. So let’s not assume anything and give parents the benefit of the doubt before we get up on our high horse.
Actually I am not assuming anything. Just asking what people think about the coach’s request. I know I texted at times when my kids. I think this is something every parent has to figure out for Himself.
I don’t think it is necessary to be on phone during a game. Many parents might do that, but it can get frustrating for the child.Just see the right time to talk to them during the game, rather than being over concerned.
Making time for our kids and being there 100% of the time is very important to them so I would like to give my child nothing less than that. Thanks for raising this.
Thanks, Joy, you sound like you are an awesome Mom!
My mom makes it a point to give me her undivided attention as needed and I appreciate her completely. I want to be just like my mom when I become a parent. Thanks for the share.
Emilia, sounds like you have a good role model to follow! And because of that, I’m sure you’ll be a good mom too.