Love others well

In the age of texting and social media overload, there is an overall sense of loneliness and dissatisfication with life I think.  People are communicating continually, but I am worried we are forgetting how to be intimate and relational.  We cannot possibly understand what is happening in peoples' lives through facebook.  We have to share our lives with each other, not just talk about them.

I am saddened by how many parents I see on their phones at the park, or on outings with their children, but are missing precioius moments of watching the details unfold before their very eyes.  Precious moments are fleeting,  never to be repeated in the same way again, so it is important not to miss snapshots of life that are taking place moment by moment.

The early attachement years are so very important.  Children connect with their mothers when they are nursing and they know by the way the mother looks into their eyes whether or not she is radiating love to them.  When mom is texting, there is no eye contact and therefore no attachement.   Attachement disruptions have longlasting and devastating consequences later on in life.  When a mom tunes into  her baby with smiles, loving gestures and warmth, the baby  responds back with smiles, gurgles and love, knowing that the world is a loving and safe place.   Without eye contact, a baby learns that the world is empty, lonely and detatched.  

When you are with your children, your spouse, or your friend, shut your phone off and honour them with your presense and full attention.  There is nothing more important than the people around you at the moment, and people phoning or texting you won't think you've died if you don't respond right away.   Connect with those you love.

Dana Goodman, author of In the Cleft:  Joy Comes in the Mourning  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=dana%20goodman&sprefix=dana+%2Caps