Grounded

When I was a kid being “grounded” meant having to stay home; often in my bedroom. I couldn’t ride my bike with a friend to get an ice cream cone for 50 cents at the corner store. I wasn’t allowed to stretch the 10 foot cord around the hall and into my bedroom to make a phone call. Basically, the punishment was denying me any sort of social interaction. Nowadays, it is the complete opposite. My kids act like they are being tortured when I take away electronic devices and make them speak to an actual human being.

I have banned iPods, iPhones, iPads, TV, etc. at the dinner table. I bend the rules when I need them to stop talking. There are just some days when you wantneed them to STFU for a few minutes. I would rather listen to obnoxious music as they throw birds or crush candy. My favorite app background music is for the game “Mine Craft.” It was clearly chosen by a mortician.

There is a scene in the movie “This is 40” that sums up a child’s reaction to the technology ban. I laughed hysterically watching this. Well, that’s not completely true. In fact, my daughter recently told me, “Mom, I want my butt to jiggle like yours.” Someday my child, someday.