Last week a mother lost her son. As a parent it always saddens me to hear when another parent has to bury a child. It’s one of the most classic examples of how things are not the way they are supposed to be.
This story has turned into a controversy. The controversy has mostly centered on whether or not it is appropriate to tweet about an emergency in the midst of it. If your community is online, it makes perfect sense to me. But that wasn’t the aspect of the story that most moved me to address it.
This child’s death was an accident and a tragedy. I would never say otherwise. However, I think parents should take pause to hear that his mother tweeted five or six times in the eight minutes proceeding the 911 call (about everyday matters) while also caring for her backyard chickens. Are we neglecting our kids to get a quick rush from a well-turned tweet or check up on someone we don’t really care about on facebook? How are we showing our children they matter more to us than our keyboards and smartphones?
Let’s not forget that the relationships that take the hardest work are the ones that bring us the most joy and fulfillment over the long haul.
Wow. What a tragic story.
I’ve recently cut back on computer time because there are never enough hours in the day, and I would rather miss out on a new photo or post on facebook, or a tweet from an online friend, than miss out on my kiddos or have my kitchen a disaster when my husband comes home. I do enjoy that online interaction, especially as a rural stay at home mom of tiny ones, but it shouldn’t be high in my priorities… it will still be there later.