Daycare Scolds Parents for Phone Use During Pick-Up
Parents are always on the go, but the hectic rush of picking up the kids can be particularly overwhelming. You might be juggling dinner ideas, contemplating a grocery stop, and trying to tie up loose ends from the workday. Enter the smartphone, your trusty sidekick that allows you to shoot off an email to your boss before it slips your mind. However, one Texas daycare isn’t interested in your career or your to-do list outside of parenting, as evidenced by their bold sign aimed at phone-wielding moms.
A mother shared a snapshot of the sign on her Facebook page (which she probably took with her phone, because who doesn’t?). The sign is like a one-way ticket to Guiltville for any mom who’s ever worried about screen time around their kids. It boldly states, “You are picking up your child! PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN!!!!” It continues, “Your child is excited to see you! Are you excited to see your child??” The note adds, “We’ve overheard kids saying ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy…’ while their parents are glued to their phones. It’s disgraceful. Get off your phone!!”
Message received, exclamation point enthusiast! You think moms who dare to check their phones at pick-up are failing at parenting.
The post has gone viral, amassing 82,000 likes, over 8,000 comments, and over a million shares. Some commenters quickly hopped on the mommy-shaming train. “Absolutely love this! It drives me crazy to see this kind of neglect,” one person commented. “It’s crucial to give them attention when you pick them up. Lazy, selfish parents don’t understand,” chimed in another. Here we working moms thought we were doing the right thing by providing for our kids, but apparently, we’re just being negligent. Great chat.
Others see the daycare message for what it is—an attempt to guilt mothers into feeling bad for multitasking. If they want parents off their phones that badly, they should be prepared to watch the kids for free. After all, my phone connects me to work, and without that job, the daycare bill isn’t getting paid.
Let’s also note that this sign seems to target moms exclusively. Surely dads pick up kids too and glance at their phones occasionally? But the sign only addresses mothers, as if we should devote every single moment to our little ones. Yes, it can be frustrating when someone’s glued to their phone during a conversation, but moms aren’t prioritizing their phones over their kids. They’re just trying to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. Working moms already face enough scrutiny; we don’t need it from daycare as well.
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Summary
A Texas daycare’s sign chastising parents for phone use during pick-up has sparked a debate on multitasking and parenting. While some parents feel shamed for trying to balance work and family, others believe the sign highlights important parenting responsibilities. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that working moms face enough judgment without added pressure from daycare.