The new year is here, and resolutions are all the rage. Many people focus on their weight loss journey, while others strive to be more fiscally responsible, and some even plan to kick a bad habit like smoking. While your goals are commendable, there is one resolution in particular I keep hearing about that I know I most certainly will NOT be doing. “Ditch your cell phones,” they say.
A big fat NOPE is what I say back.
Modern technology has afforded us the cell phone, and as an adult, professional, wife, and especially as a mom, I appreciate this little gem of luxury. With the stroke of my fingertip, I instantly connect to the outside world. I do not know about you, but for me, this has been both wonderful and convenient as we continue navigating life in general, but even more so in a pandemic. Our lives have not stopped; we have just now begun adjusting to our new norm.
As moms, we are often designated the multi-tasking masterminds, the glue that holds everything together, and the quiet engines that keep our family unit running smoothly and orderly. Mentally and physically, this can be pretty exhausting, so I am all for it if a bit of technology can help me do so more efficiently. I think negativity associated with the cell phone comes from the assumption they are only used to browse social media aimlessly or have mindless leisure time (even though to stay sane, most moms may need to browse social media aimlessly or have some mindless leisure time).
Moms are keepers of the things, knowers of all the questions, doers of the tasks. Essentially, we are expected to be the experts for everyone at all times. At any given moment in which someone sees me on my phone, I could very well, and most likely am doing one of the following: replying to a work email, keeping track of our budget, setting a reminder for us to join my husband’s aunt’s birthday party on Zoom next week, submitting an assignment, exploring Pinterest for ways to remove vomit from the sofa, scouring WedMD for reasons why there was vomit in the first place, looking over my children’s progress report, taking their picture, making a doctor’s appointment for family members, updating our grocery list or ordering them, finding recipes for said groceries to feed said family members, getting an update on happenings in the world, paying a bill, checking the weather to see how to dress my kids for school tomorrow, ensuring there will actually be school tomorrow, searching the internet to see what married men in their 30s want for Christmas, googling whether we’ll die if we eat the casserole I accidentally left out the night before, and yes, sometimes even learning the newest TikTok dance sensation from a social media session.
With the rolling list I just named, haven’t I, haven’t we, earned this right?
In this two thousandth and twenty-second year of our Lord and Savior, women wear more hats than ever before. But luckily, technology is more advanced than ever too. The demands and expectations placed on moms by society are almost crippling, so if there is anything that can make my life easier, more organized, stress-free, and happy, you better believe I will use it!
For me, and most likely you, that involves a tiny, expensive electronic device glued to one hand and all the other tools needed to wrangle this crazy life in the other. So, the next time you see a mom using her cell phone, do not be so quick to judge and be dismissive. It is her prerogative to use her cell, whether for productivity or simply googling the Bobby Brown song lyrics.
