My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly.
Recently Parker and Patty invited the kids and grandkids to meet at the pancake restaurant for breakfast and then go to the museum. They all arrived and began settling in. They scooted into the booths with three grandkids under 10 sitting at the grownups’ table and four teens taking their own space right next to them. The waitress came and asked for orders at the younger kids table. One was playing with a tablet, one had a handheld game, and one had daddy’s phone taking silly pictures. After the waitress asked twice, Patty and Parker ordered the electronics turned off and told the kids to join the breakfast visit.
Things were even worse at the teen table. Not one of the four teens even looked up when ordering or addressing their grandparents. They were texting, networking, and ignoring the live people at their breakfast get together. Parker watched and Patty fumed as the grandkids and their parents made calls, sent texts, admired pictures and failed to connect with each other. Parker asked questions, Patty made small talk, but nobody was really visiting. They both felt frustrated and wanted time with their family. They asked the kids to stop looking at the electronics and look at them and converse, but they would glance away as email dinged or texts came in. Things were not getting better.
Finally Parker asked the waitress for a takeout sack. He took the sack and collected each person’s phone and the little one’s tablet amid grumbling and complaining, but they did comply. Parker then sat the sack in front of him on the table and told the group they could now have a family breakfast with good conversation and eye contact. About every five seconds, someone’s electronics in the sack would ding, ring or buzz. Parker ignored it all. One teen grandson reached for the sack saying he wanted to check his phone. Granddad smiled and said he could wait. Food arrived, they ate, laughed, talked and joked; and for a time the electronics were forgotten. After everyone had their fill and their second cup, they stood up to leave and Parker picked up the takeout bag. He calmly said, “Whoever wants their takeout here will have no museum ticket and no lunch paid for by me and your Grandmother. But if you want to let me bring this takeout to lunch after our trip to the museum, I will pay the bill and share this special day we planned with each of you.” There were frowns, foot stomping, a bit of discussion between mom and one teen girl, but after a bit of processing, all agreed to wait for lunch takeout.
They left the breakfast place, drove to the museum, shared a wonderful exhibit, went for hamburgers and ice cream and then met at Parker’s table afterwards to retrieve their electronics. To the very last child they said they had fun, enjoyed the day and survived without their phones. The consensus was they would not want to do it all the time, but Granddad’s ‘takeout’ break wasn’t all that bad.
Parker said, ‘You never know what you might miss if you are always limited by small screen living. Have some live action. It will be fun.’ As they all hugged and said goodbye, one of the grandson’s said he just might take a takeout break with his granddad next weekend if Parker was available.
