My friend Sydney and I only get to see each other once a week. So, we only have a few hours to be together. Recently when I arrived she leaped up to give me a huge hug which felt fantastic. After a few minutes of catching up she immediately went back to playing with her iPad.

So I asked Sydney to pay attention to me rather than her iPad. She began to cry. After a long time and several attempts to find out why she was upset I finally figured out she was upset because she thought I was angry with her. I held her hand and assured her I was not angry. But friends must be honest with one another and I told her I felt that technology was more important to her than spending time with me.

I am not a parent but I recently interviewed a parent about the dangers she witnesses of technology negatively impacting her children’s ability to have healthy and respectful interaction with others.  This is something I feel each parent must stay on top of because we don’t want to create a generation of young people who cannot talk to or relate to one another. We don’t want our children to think machines that don’t feel are more important than human beings and animals that do feel.

Sydney and I are okay because we talked it out. Which is another important aspect about relationships that we must teach children. When something upsets us we cannot just sweep it under the rug or refuse to share our feelings. We have to be honest with one another. Which is exactly the relationship Sydney and I are working to build.