Most people who have young children know that dropping them at daycare and picking them up later can be difficult. Stressful mornings and cranky kids who would rather be home with them can hit a parent right in the heart.
Still, being a mom or dad is no walk in the park, but it’s worth every second.
It was almost two years ago that Juliana Farris Mazurkewicz went to pick up her daughter at a daycare in Hockley, Texas. On the door was a sign…
The sign on the door of the daycare that day was no ordinary one requesting parents to bring extra clothes or pack an extra lunch for an upcoming field trip. It was a pretty personal one asking parents to change their behavior.
Some parents were really upset when they read it, but Juliana agreed with every single word. She took a photo of the sign and posted it on Facebook.
But Juliana had no idea that more than a million people would respond to her photo in just a couple of days.
It seemed that everyone had an opinion about it.
This was what the sign said:
“You are picking up your child! GET OFF YOUR PHONE!!!!
Your child is happy to see you! Are you not happy to see your child?? We have seen children trying to hand their parents their work they completed and the parent is on the phone.
We have heard a child say, ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy…’ and the parent is paying more attention to their phone than their own child. It is appalling. Get off your phone!!”
In just a couple of hours, hundreds of parents had reacted to Juliana’s post. Everyone had something to say about it. Some people were positive, while others thought the preschool had no right to stick their noses in parents’ business.
Juliana, however, wasn’t upset at all. She understood where the staff was coming from and even realized that she was holding her phone in one hand while she read the note.
This is what Juliana said in an interview with CNN:
“I was a bit shocked, but I didn’t feel any negativity towards the daycare. I know that the staff has the best interests of the children in mind, even to the point where they are willing to offend the parent.”
Other parents thought the preschool shouldn’t comment on parents’ phone usage because they might be working on something important or responding to an emergency.
Whether it was right or wrong of the preschool to put up the controversial notice, I think most people would agree that we should spend a little less time on our phones.
Of course, no one would complain if you someone was using their phone in an emergency, but it’s hard to believe that every parent who’s picking up their child from daycare is having an emergency.
Whether you’re with your children, significant other or friends, think twice before you pick up your phone. You don’t need to look at it 24 hours a day.
Share the article with your friends on Facebook if you also think we should live a little more in the present rather than on our cell phones, tablets and computers!
