One beautiful spring afternoon, when I was a resident, I was home studying and baby-sitting our three sons, ages 3, 4, and 5. Lucky for me the toddler was napping and the older boys were playing in the basement, or at least that’s what I thought. My concentration on academic pediatrics quickly turned to the practical when the back door flew open and in rushed the two older sons. Out of breath from running they told me they had just made four cents. Sean opened his hand to show me four brown pennies.
“How did you manage that?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear his answer.
With excitement he told we how they visited Dr. Flanary’s house and charged him two cents each to pollinate two of his tulips. “We told him we had to charge him four cents, because you needed two tulips to pollinate, you couldn’t do just one.” Dr. Flanary was Mary’s obstetrician and had delivered all three of the boys. He lived across the street from the other side of our block. He was outside weeding his tulips when they walked by. “He said it was fun and he learned a lot from us!” the boy’s concluded.
Mary was not real excited about my parenting skills, and I had no answer for her. Dr. Flanary had a real laugh when she visited him a few weeks later for her OB check.
It is obvious that I can’t multitask, but can others? I believe the answer is obvious that no one can text and drive, not even train engineers – you no doubt heard about the train that was going too fast for the curve and derailed while the engineer was texting. It cost several people their lives!
Then there was the article in the WSJ showing that after decades of decline the number of injuries to children under the age of 6 dramatically increased from 2003 to 2011. These injuries included fractures, head injuries, drownings, and others, but all happened when their care giver was texting or using other portable media while “watching” them. (Some might have been studying).
I know that the tulip episode was not a serious event, and we laugh about often, but texting, like concentrating on the written word should not be, and can not be, done while driving or even while care giving. We parents are torn between being “helicopter” parents and not paying attention to the job at hand.
Today’s lesson put down what you’re doing and spend some time enjoying your kids, but give them the freedom to become entrepreneurs even at a young age!