Moms would say that they spend a lot of time with their children, but just how present are you? That’s the question celebrity mom Isabelle Daza seeks to answer in a new video she recently uploaded on her Instagram account.
The video, which is shot from son Baltie’s perspective, shows what a typical day is like for them. Baltie opens his eyes and sees his mom’s face at 7 a.m., and Isabelle snaps a photo of her adorable son. During their morning walk and during playschool, Isabelle hovers and takes a video while the teacher is singing to Baltie.
For the rest of the day — lunch time, play time, and even during nap time, Isabelle’s phone is fixed on Baltie. During play time, Belle lets Baltie entertain himself while she fiddles with her phone.
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By the end of the video, Belle reveals she picks up her phone an average of 136 times a day and spends an average of six hours and 53 minutes looking at the screen.
“Created this video as a reminder to myself to be present and that not everything has to be recorded,” Belle writes in her Instagram post. “I realized that there are times I chose to be on my phone rather than spend quality time with my son.”
“I underestimate the amount of times he sees my phone and not my actual face.”
Isabelle, who says she’s trying to lessen her phone usage, used the hashtag #MomGuiltisREAL on her post. As of this writing, the video has gotten more than 438,871 views and over 1,344 comments.
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ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWUnsurprisingly, a lot of these comments were from moms who could relate with the video. One mom said in the comments that the same thing happened to her. Her 5-year-old was excitedly talking about his day in school but suddenly stopped when he saw that his mom was recording the conversation. “He told me to stop video-ing him, and he wants to talk to my face (me). My heart [broke] and after that I tried to enjoy the moment with him,” the mom shared.
Another mom noted that while it’s understandable that moms often do this to capture beautiful memories with their children, it’s also important to be aware of what their child sees.
“My 6-month-old needs me more! Kudos to this meaningful message to moms which I’m sure we are all guilty of,” one mom wrote in the comments. “We monitor our kids’ gadget usage, and yet [when] we use ours, [it’s] unlimited.”CONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowWhat other parents are reading
Your child knows when you’re on the phone
Baltie might only be turning a year old, but a recent survey showed that distracted parenting or “parental overuse of hand-held technology, particularly cellphone and tablets in the presence of children,” doesn’t go unnoticed by the kids.
The survey, which was done by AVG Technologies, consisted of 6,000 children ages 8 to 13. Fifty-two percent of them revealed they think their parents spend too much time on their mobile phones. Thirty-two percent felt unimportant when their parents used their phones during meal times, conversations, when watching television, and playing outside.
Meanwhile, another study published by the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that “smartphones distract parents from cultivating feelings of connection when spending time with their children.”What other parents are reading
The good news: 54% of the parents in the AVG survey worried they were setting a bad example with their kids when it came to their phone use. That means parents recognize that quality time is being mindfully present and emotionally attuned when they are with their kids.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWBeing aware of whether you are present or not when you are with your child is a good first step. Just because you caught yourself spending too much time on your phone does not make you a bad mom automatically. Take it from Isabelle's mom, Gloria Diaz, who couldn’t help but comment on her daughter’s video. “Haha Belle. Yes, yes, yes, but you are a good mom," she says.
Take it one step at a time, momma!
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