When we gather together , silence your phones and put them away .
Initially , I thought of creating a no-phone zone in the house . Our living room and dining room are open as one big space , so it seemed like a good idea to put a box by the entrance and not allow devices in this area of the home . However , I ’ d already banned phones from the dinner table long ago , and we just don ’ t spend a lot of time in our living room . I felt the phone use interfered the most on car trips and during family activities . So , it made more sense for us to go with the “ no phones when we gather ” rule .
There is a time and place for technology ; there is no denying that . My children are growing up in a tech-saturated world and it will likely always be part of their lives , but that doesn ’ t mean it gets to steal us away from one another . It can be in our lives without taking over our lives . The people we love and the experiences we share will always be more important than what ’ s happening online , and that ’ s the lesson I hope my kids take with them into adulthood . •
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