Smart Mama, Dumb Phone

With the upswing of social networking, e-mail, texting, and smartphones, it is possible to stay fully connected almost anywhere you go.  I don't know what the exact statistics are, but most people I know that have cell phones own a "Smart" phone, such as the Blackberry, Droid, iPhone, Android, etc, etc.  I had a Blackberry for a while, until its untimely demise and replaced it with a Droid.  I was plugged in.  Constantly.  If the phone dinged, pinged, or buzzed, I had to check it.  The little green flashing light, indicating some form of message, was like Odysseus' sirens, calling me insistently.

On top of this, it cost money.  At the time, it was $30/ month.  Not much until you start adding it all up.  Cost of the phone, cost of the data plan, and then there is the cost of the time taken away from your real life.  Those minutes when you aren't really paying attention to your family or your surroundings add up.  What seems like a few minutes will add up into hours and then days, depending on your usage habits.  This was pointed out to me in sharp relief when I spent a week at Cape Cod with my son, my sisters and their families.  While I was there, I made it a point to leave my phone behind 90% of the time.  If we went to town, I took it, but that was it.  I took pictures with my regular digital camera.  One of my sisters, who considers me a techno-geek of sorts, was constantly caught off-guard when she would ask me to look something up, call someone, etc and I would reply that my phone was back at the cottage.  The first time, her mouth dropped open and she was speechless. 

So, I went low-tech and used my "upgrade" to get a DumbPhone.  The fanciest thing about this particular phone is that it has a QWERTY keyboard to make texting a little bit easier and a small camera, which takes mediocre photos.  I must admit that the transition was odd.  I missed the nice camera and ability to e-mail photos the most of all the features.  The lack of having everyone's updates, tweets, and comments was almost a relief.  The only statuses I needed to worry about were mine and my son's. 

It surprised me that my friends had the most difficulty in my choice to "upgrade" to a low-tech status.  My nights are no longer disturbed with the dinging of my phone and I find messages waiting for me about how much I miss out on with my "non-internet phone." 

In reality, I am not missing out on all that much.  I am gaining time with my son, who is growing up WAY too fast.  I am out in the yard, helping to build a treehouse.  I am in the garage, fixing the chain on his bike again.  I am making dinner, while he sings the Christmas songs they have been learning at school.  (Voice like his mother- sounds like an angel when he sings.)

So, consider this, especially right now, during the busiest time of the year, which is supposed to be all about family, not phones.  Be present in the moment.  Enjoy the glow of the family around the table.  Technology has its place and it can be a useful tool to bring those together who are far apart, especially with military deployments. But when the phone dings or bings or buzzes, ask yourself which matters more at that moment- the e-mail/text message/ FB alert that just came in, or being in the moment.