Even the Pope thinks we all need to take our eyes off those cellphones for a change.
Markus Schreiber/AP
Pope Francis wants families to put away the cellphones at mealtimes.
Even the Pope thinks we all need to take our eyes off those cellphones for a change. His Holiness, Pope Francis , said last week that families should ditch their electronics at mealtimes and focus on each other instead.
KLG : I totally agree. In my house we had a tech-free zone at dinner. But that was a few years ago when the kids were just at the beginning of all this cellphone stuff. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for kids today growing up with their cellphones attached to their ears. I used to get up and take a call if it was important, but then the kids would give me such grief for it.
HK : I think it’s interesting that the Pope is addressing this issue. Isn’t that funny?
KLG : Family is a huge thing with him.
HK : He was already so human and so down-to-earth when he was here in New York and this reemphasizes that he just gets it. He gets what regular families are doing at the dinner table and this is something he feels is important enough to address. I love that he did that. Meanwhile, I don’t make much of an effort to put my phone away when I’m eating with family. I turn it over. It is bad.
KLG : I do because my kids don’t live at home anymore so I want to be with them when they’re home.
Ditch the cellphone and enjoy each other's company at mealtime.
HK : You know what’s funny? I keep mine nearby, but I don’t like when someone else at the table reaches for their own.
WHY NOT PRAY FOR PARIS?
The terror attacks in Paris were horrible, but what’s also sad is the reaction of some who have slammed people who show their empathy on social media by changing their profile picture or tweeting about their solidarity with the French.
KLG : Let people express themselves.
HK : Why would anyone have a problem with someone posting “Prayers for Paris?”
KLG : I guess because doing so doesn’t change anything in the real world. It just makes us feel good for a moment, but it’s not fixing any of the problems.