Why I hesitate to take my daughter to any public play area

My daughter is a bright, funny, adventurous 3 year old. I love to take her to go play at different places because I am a part time stay at home mom. She needs that fun time, and it is great for socializing since she is not in daycare.

Over this last year, I have noticed something that really bothers me, and it has made me very hesitant to take her to the park or any play place for that matter. I understand technology is a big part of our society. I see parents Facebooking, Tweeting, or just plain playing on their phone while their children run around playing. And here is why I do not agree to this.

You are missing out on some amazing times to play with your children if you are on your phone. I find it great when my daughter does something new, and wants to involve me. She gets excited to show mom how brave and big she is.

Today, I took my daughter to an outdoor play ground. There were a ton of kids around. Most the parent's were on their phone. I was one of the rare one's paying attention to my child and playing with her. Yes she made new friends. She had a great time. Most the kids were yelling for their parents to pay attention. It was sad to see that they were so involved with their phone they hardly looked up to see what their child was doing.

My daughter has been yelled at by a little girl saying, "I HATE you." And push my daughter to the ground while the parents were so busy on their phone. They didn't even notice their daughter was bullying my daughter. There was nothing that was done to correct this issue. Then when I, a concerned parent, actually said, "We do not act like that to others" to the little girl, the parents paid attention and I was the one who was the bad guy.

There had been times my daughter has been kicked, punched, yelled at, and bullied. I know bullying is a big concern in our society. And we can stop a lot of that type of behavior if we as parents pay attention.

I know parents can not pay attention to their kids 24/7. I am not saying to do that. What I am saying is put the phone down. Watch your child. They will smile that you are actually paying attention to them. It will make them feel important, and I think it encourages them to do more and play more. And maybe, just maybe, if more parent's put their phones down, it will stop some child from bullying. Just a thought.