I’m likely to be the father of Blackberry orphans
The Wall Street Journal reports of the effects of Blackberry parents on their children which are cleverly called Blackberry orphans. From the article: “They are fearful that parents will be distracted by emails while driving, concerned about Mom and Dad’s shortening attention spans and exasperated by their parents’ obsession with their gadgets. Bob Ledbetter III, a third-grader in Rome, Ga., says he tries to tell his father to put the BlackBerry down, but can’t even get his attention. ‘Sometimes I think he’s deaf,’ says the 9-year-old.”
I like my Blackberry, not just because I’m addicted to email, but because when used effectively, it lets me attend to business without sacrificing flexibility. However, I don’t want my one year old daughter to grow up with a father more concerned with a portable piece of plastic than her company. More importantly, I know my wife could do without the constant checking. (Commits to leaving the Blackberry in my office after 6pm.)
[via Lifehacker]
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December 17th, 2006 at 11:17 pm
That is quite brave of you Blake! Brooks has a Blackberry now and I understand what that article is saying. You’re good for just letting go!
December 20th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
Blake,
This is one of the saddest things I’ve ever read! I also have a BlackBerry and depend upon it, but I now have a new goal to not use it when I’m with my boy.
Thanks for the post.
Brock
May 4th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Aw, that’s sad. Sometimes I wish I was more techno-savvy, but it’s posts like these that remind me to be grateful of my ignorance. :)
July 10th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
How do i tather my blackberry to make it a modem