Validate me, please! (by Ryan)

That silly little thing seems to hold so much power! Even seeing it sitting on the side of the room draws me in. But this past week I made a decision that I was going to be more powerful than that stupid little thing.

What is that little thing? My iphone. What did I do? Deleted all social media and game apps.

Now before you start congratulating me, it is a number of days later and I have failed miserably. Rather than checking my Facebook app, I go to Facebook online and check it there. Despite deleting Vine, I downloaded it again “just to quickly make a vine”, and a few days later it still sits on my iphone screen.

But the sentiments behind the initial deleting are still there. I hate the fact that so often Laura and I are in the same room but we are both staring at our phones rather than actually connecting. I hate that my phone is the last thing I look at before sleep and one of the first things I look at when I wake up.

I heard someone talking about the great memories they had as a child snuggling in their parents bed in the morning. Do I really want my girls’ morning memories to be snuggling in our bed watching me on my phone? So often, rather than actually engaging in what is happening right around me with the people that mean the most to me, I am skimming through a feed of random thoughts, observations, photos, and “likes” posted by others. 

The “likes”, messages, texts, emails all feed my desire to feel needed. If I am having some self-doubt or need some validation, I can throw up a status and there are some immediate hits of attention to tide me over.

The craziest thing about it all though, is that while I am seeking validation from a world beyond my house and family, I have all of the validation I could ever possibly want  staring me right in the face. Yet, instead of seeing it, I am looking at a stupid phone.

They say that recognizing a problem and having self-awareness is a great first step, but right now that feels like the easy part. 

So, next time you see me staring at my phone give me a kick, poke me, do an interpretive dance, sing me a song, or whatever else you feel inspired to do. 

Or, if you are brave enough, validate me somehow. I promise I will return the love!