We've all seen it, a family at dinner with their children, the parents converse, and the children are sucked into the technological void provided to them by the technology their parents give them to keep them behaved and occupied. In my opinion, if you're going to bring your children to dinner, they should be part of the conversation, otherwise, hire a babysitter.
When I look back at my childhood and think about going out to dinner with my family, technology was never a thought, and nor should it be. Regardless of my contribution to the conversations at dinner, I attribute a lot of my conversational learning as well as improved diction to the attentive and inclusive conversations amongst members in my family. Giving your children technology so you don't have to deal with them screams lazy parenting and also shows your children that you'd rather have them out of your hair. When you have a child, that child needs to be your world, otherwise, don't have children!
As someone who works in a restaurant, I see this far too often. In some scenarios, I have seen every member of a family, on some type of technology, only talking when the server came up to take their orders and check on how their food is. Even at a banquette style table, like the hibachi tables at Benihana, I have seen this occur too. It's extremely upsetting to me because when I look back at Benihana dinners with my family, I remember befriending the families at the table with us and laughing the entire time with the people I loved. These are memories that children in more current generations are being deprived of–all so their parents can have silence when going out to dinner.
If you're reading this and are a current parent or plan to be a parent in the future, deeply consider the fact that integrating technology in every facet of your child's life can affect them in a multitude of negative ways you may not even realize. Talk to your children, show them undeniable love, and make them feel like part of the conversation because one day they're going to grow up and be out of your hair for good.
