Plugged in Parenting

We get the newspaper delivered to our door each morning and while were eating our breakfast, I was perusing through the paper and checking my emails on my phone (I'm a great multi-tasker) when I came across this article

The Risks of Parenting While Plugged In

Check it out...or not...it's about parents and technology and how we're so worried about our kids overuse of technology but are we (parents) just as bad?

We've all seen it or done it:
-pushing our kid on the swing while talking on the phone
-texting a friend while 'playing' with our kids
-surfing the web on our laptop while kids are having a snack

I've even been known to judge caretakers who seem to be on the phone allthetime...But I have a few comments about this "problem" (I'm not sure we can call it that just yet)

As a stay at home mom, my smart phone is sometimes my lifeline to the outside world and my way of telling our family all the cute things Jenna is doing.  It's how I send my hubby cute pics of Jenna when he's having a tough day at work.  It's how I set up lunch dates or play dates with other mommies and their kids.  It's also where I got to video Jenna's first steps, upload it to youtube and send it out before I even got home that day. 

And then of course there are times where I'm using it just for fun - like checking out what's going on in the world of facebook or twitter.  And I don't know - does Jenna need my undivided total attention 24 hours a day?? I'm not sure.  I think there's something to be said for her playing by herself for a little while - I think it fosters independence. I also think that we'd like to have more children which means that she's going to have to be able to keep herself occupied for a bit when there's a little one around...

Or maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better because I'm guilty of this behavior sometimes. 

One mother's comment on the article...

A mother made a child wait a minute or two for her attention because she was doing something not directly involving him. She even let him fuss for a moment rather than instantly reward his whining.

And this is considered a "troubling" incident? Does the nitpicking and guilt tripping of the modern parent never end?