I really hate to see it when parents are out doing things with small children, walking, shopping, visiting the park, etc., and they're on the phone and ignoring the children. Your children grow so fast, and they learn so much in those wonderful one-on-one situations. Don't squander them by chatting on the phone!

My daughter and I were out one evening in a grocery store when she was about two (so this is going back 17 years) and I remember sharing some great jokes about the things we were walking past. I remember the evening because it was so charming, we had so much fun. The sound of a small child laughing is so incredible--and as we shopped I would see heads pop up and smiles come across the faces of other adult shoppers. I do the same thing when I hear kids laugh. But I swear, they don't seem to as much now, because their parents are ignoring them to talk on the phone instead.

[sigh]

SRS