Fostering Family Connections in a Digital Era: Overcoming Smartphone Distractions for Meaningful Bonding

Family is one of the closest ties most of us have, and through the years, it's been where we get loved unconditionally and seek each other's well-being, safety, and growth. Family through the years has bonded well, but since the advent of technology devices such as our phones, the reverse has been the case: phones have gone on to create a gap between family members, and the ability to stay focused for a few hours with family without checking our phones seems impossible.

The distraction caused by the use of smartphones has created gaps between family members and loved ones, making it basically impossible to have concrete family time without the need to pick up our phones and check through. This continuous distraction has led many parents and loved ones to ban the use of phones at some specific time, but is that right or wrong?

Personally, while growing up, my family was so closely woven into one another that we bonded and had tireless communication with one another without getting bored, exhausted, or distracted. This kind of community helps increase the love and care we've got for one another because having to communicate with someone often brings about bonding that strengthens the relationship, making it difficult for anyone to come between you.

But nowadays, since phones have come into existence, my family and the way we bond haven't been the same; in fact, it's literally hard to have a conversation of 10 minutes without one of us picking up our phones to snuff through it while the family is trying to bond, and this is just a distraction that makes those not checking their phones become fed up with the lack of concentration and attention and just decide to pick up their own phone as well.

But when this thing was getting overboard, I can remember that my mom decided to set up a standing rule that we should all put our phones on silent and not check them while we're sitting at the dining table, eating, and trying to build a conversation that would strengthen the bond of our family. To be fair, I concur with this, not because I don't do that, but because I've seen the gap it has created between my siblings, my parents, and me.

And I know the only way to bridge that gap would be to do away with our phones for the little times that we'll be having together with our family over dinner or at serious family meetings where important matters are discussed, and I can remember there are days we have such important conversations and while checking through my phone, I've ended up losing track of the conversation and asking for a repeat of the statement so I can contribute my take on it.

I do feel embarrassed when I'm caught up in such a situation, and I'm sure my siblings would also feel the same way when they're in my shoes. So with that, we all agreed with mom's opinion on how to strengthen our family bond, and it greatly improved our lives and bond going forward. But fast forward to a week after that rule was laid down by my mom, and something happened that made us take a u-turn on our initial decision.

So it happened that during dinner one day, while all of us muted our phones and were having a good family discussion, one of us had an important call that would have brought him improvement in his career, but due to the rule, he didn't notice when the call and text messages were coming in, and by the time we were done with our discussions and he checked his phone, he was so worried and tried to reach the person who called and was told they'd given the slot to someone else.

It was a painful experience that got him angry and depressed, and from that day onwards, we decided that it's ok to have our phone around us during such conversations, so we can easily stay up-to-date with happenings and important information that might come in. As we all know, we're now in a digital world, and the best thing to do is embrace it to maximize its benefits, not ditch and miss out on the benefits that lie therein.

Although this would have drew us back to getting overwhelmed and distracted by our phones once again, we all agree once again that we should not let the phone take the role of boss for us; we own it and can always control our appetite for it without letting it distract us, except when an important message or call comes in that requires our unwavering attention.

So that's how my family was able to change the narrative that our phones were serving as a distraction to our family time, and via those decisions and unwavering commitment to bridge the gap, our family bonded well and became a force to reckon with. Although presently I stay alone, there's no point in the phone playing such a role in my life, but I'm looking forward to having an agreement with my partner when I've got one, so we can take a stand against letting our phones create a gap between us.

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Thanks so much for your time. I hope you enjoyed the read and learned something from it. Have a wonderful day ahead, and stay blessed.

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