The photo that "awakens" all adults: Is it time for parents to raise their heads?

The photo will make many parents look up in surprise.

Like Facebooker Luong Trung Kien, many people agree that this is a “Photo of current life!” – a photo that depicts behind it the story of adults who are addicted to smartphones, more fascinated by the virtual world than communicating, chatting and playing with children. It is a world that we, adults, including those who are fathers and mothers, are immersed in every hour, every day, regardless of whether what is keeping us busy is really important, and accidentally “drop” a world of childhood right next to us.

There are also many others who believe that the above photo does not necessarily reflect the "accurate" message that the author wants to convey, that the three characters in it are not necessarily a real family, and that the father and mother are indifferent or so absorbed in their smartphones that they "forget" their child, in loneliness and anxiety because there is no one to play with, no one to talk to. Or as nick Pham Quang Anh speculates: "If you look closely, you will see that the boy looks like the woman in black, it seems that this is the mother and child, and it is not clear whether the man on the left is the child's father or not" .

Whether the three characters are really a family or not, perhaps it is not really important, because it has conveyed a very meaningful message and "attacked" a clear reality that we can see anywhere in this modern world, on the subway, in the park, in the cafe... Adults are too "busy" with the joys of technology, and children, if they do not become copies, do not bury their heads in smartphones and become the next "head-bowing generation", will be left alone in loneliness.

The person who took this photo, Ms. Thu Thao, still believes in her feelings, that it is really a family. She said, she took the photo on a bench around Hoan Kiem Lake, after about 15 minutes of silently observing them. “The boy sat very well on the chair, just squirming but not running around, his eyes were sad; and the two people next to him were still attentively looking at their phones. During that time, the three people did not communicate with each other, nor look at each other; but no one else came to the baby's side either. I thought those were the baby's parents. And that image caught my eye so I took it . ”

Ms. Thu Thao shared that it is completely true that many parents today are more addicted to smartphones than their children. She revealed that this also happens in her own family. She is not married, has no children, and often only plays with her grandchildren, and at those times, she does not use a smartphone. However, the baby's mother sometimes tricks her child into playing alone and then sits and plays with her phone, even though there is no important matter to be solved. From a social perspective, she is concerned: "I have a feeling that children whose parents are addicted to smartphones are very lonely. Many children even feel restless and frustrated, as if they just want to go out but do not dare. Parents who are always engrossed in their phones will definitely limit their communication with their children. If the older children play by themselves, it is better, but the younger children can easily be slow to speak and have poor communication skills, which is very pitiful!"

A photo with a similar message was shared by photographer Can Hung.

The irresistible attraction of smartphones has made parents busy, lacking in care and closeness to their children, making children feel lonely and abandoned in their own homes. In fact, in many families, smartphones have suddenly become our "baby", our "darling" that we take care of, forcing us to be with them, taking up most of our free time, our endless source of joy... not our flesh and blood children. Looking at this picture, do you see yourself in it? Do you remember the scene where you were absorbed in "stroking" your smartphone, smiling while scrolling through Facebook and seeing that your photo had hundreds of likes, delighted because you won a game that you had conquered for a month, while your baby was clinging to your feet, begging you to read a book with him or tie a bunch of hair for him? Have you ever gone on a date with your husband in a cafe, and each of you held a device, and to keep your children “safe”, you made them sit still in one place for easier control, instead of letting them run around here and there…

If you think that children do not know anything, that children do not feel your loneliness or your indifference, try putting down your phone, and look deeply into your child's eyes, at the sparkle in their smile when they play with you. And read the essay of a second grader in China about a mother who is always engrossed in her phone.

“Tuesday, March 8

Today is International Women's Day March 8. On this day, I want to thank my mother because she has to work very hard every day, I will do some things for her.

First, I told my mom a little story. But it seemed like she didn't like listening to my story, she just kept her eyes glued to her phone. This made me very sad.

I thought my mom would be happy to hear my wishes, so I sent her a March 8th greeting. But she kept staring at her phone, which made me feel even sadder. I thought this probably wouldn't work, so I'd just give her a back rub.

I used all my strength to punch my mother's back, but she still didn't take her eyes off her phone, her face was not cheerful at all. I felt even sadder.

After that, I decided to go wash my mother’s feet. While I was washing her feet, she finally took her eyes off her phone. This made me feel a little happier, so I tried even harder to wash her feet.

When I finished my task, I hoped to be rewarded by my mother, but instead she just sternly said to me: "You washed your feet well today, but next time wash them a little cleaner!"

I was really sad. Then when I left the room, my mother did not forget to remind me: “Hurry up and write your diary!”

My International Women's Day 8/3 passed by so boringly like that."

Smartphone addiction not only takes up too much time and affects your health, but also affects family relationships. Put down your smartphone and love more. Don't let your little ones be lonely in their own home. Is playing with your children not as important as the virtual joys and information that flows in every day in the world of technology? Don't let yourself, and possibly in the future, your children belong to the "bowing" generation (literally), busy bowing their heads to "serve" technology, more interested in phones and virtual things than the beautiful life outside, more than the simple happiness that is close to us.

* According to afamily