Smartphones, Ignorant Parents

This is not really about Nursing or Medicine, but instead a reminder regarding our lack of situational awareness (a result of our fascination with streamed entertainment).

I went to a coffee house this morning, and noticed 3 persons at a table. What looked to be a Mom and Dad and their son, of an estimate age of four. The parents each had a smartphone, with the whole of their attention on the device, effectually unaware of anything going on around them. The young fellow looked my way, as I walked past the table. The parents had zero attention for their son; a trajedy in of itself, and a lure to any wacko in the audience. How easy it would be to steal a purse, or even their child.

Telephone Charades

With mom and dad
On their telephone,
I'm just sitting here
All alone,
Watching strangers
At the coffee shop,
I'm completely ignored
By mom and pop.

Lots of others
In this place,
Hold a smartphone
Up to their face,
They are unaware
Of what is near,
I could be kidnapped
Or disappear.

Stranger man
He walks by,
We look at each other
Eye to eye,
He seems to notice
My mom and dad,
Faces tuned
To phone and pad.

He looks nice
And asks my name,
Just like Charades
I know that game,
We played it once
At Grandma's house,
He whispers to me
"Be quiet as a mouse".

We'll go outside
You won't be bad,
'Cause it's Ok
With mom and dad,
They are too busy
And you're alone,
They're more interested
In their telephone.

You can come back later
When we're done,
You'll tell them how
They missed our fun,
But for now
They just don't care,
The phone is more important
Than having you there.

They'll be excited
Yesiree,
Wondering what
You did with me,
But that's our secret
So, let's not tell,
Or mom and daddy
Will go to Hell.

You can show them
Your brand new toy,
I gave it to you
You're such a good boy,
Because that's what
Mom and daddy say,
Along with please and thank you
And have a nice day.
_ _ _ _ __ __

Sure, it's creepy; but so real is the danger we are inviting into our lives when we subjugate our awareness to outside distractions. For example: Driving the car using the cellphone; walking across a busy intersection looking at the cellphone, traversing the stairway in the hospital, using a cellphone; Driving the commuter train while texting on the cellphone; performing patient care, while looking at the cellphone..............danger is everywhere.