Missing Something

Count me Crotchety. 

I was sitting in the food court today having my daily sandwich when I saw a sight that angered me. Against one wall there are three children’s riding machines – the kind you put your kid on or in, plug in a few coins, and let it rock while it plays songs. I glanced over today to see a cute young boy, about the age of my first grandson (and with his former wild hair), rocking away on one of them. And standing a few feet to the side was his mother: back turned, head down, thumbs ablaze on the screen of her phone. Spending the past week with my second grandson, a 5-month-old little spud, I couldn’t help but think how much she was missing. But even more so, I was angry for what the boy was missing. He was missing a parent who could be in the moment with him. Someone who would watch him and encourage him and be joyful for him. 

But what do I know? I’m sure she’s a decent mother. I mean, she let the boy ride all three of the machines, one after the other, and it wasn’t until the third that she abandoned him completely, walking over to sit down with her back to him still. Thankfully, she was cognizant enough to figure out that the music stopping meant she had to at least look over to see if he was still there. 

Those things kind of stick with me. Especially the disinterested look in the child’s eyes as the machine rocked and sang to him. I’m thankful for my grandchildren and equally so for their parents, who treat events like a ride on a machine like they are the coolest thing anyone could be doing at the time. I love to see their consistent words of encouragement and happiness. 

We might not know where this is going, but I think we’re seeing the clues now that the end might not be good. Humans today are a whole new species, not because we’ve evolved physically, but because our worlds have been turned upside down from the lives our parents and grandparents lived just a generation or two ago. Fifty years ago, we had no choice but to pay attention differently. I’m not saying perfectly, but with more awareness of our surroundings. Today, our focus is normally on one thing for too much of our waking (and sometimes sleeping) hours, and it’s stealing something from us all. We can’t keep our eyes off the small screens we carry with us, and honestly, we’re the poorer for it. Sadly, more and more of us don’t know enough to know that.