Can you put away the phone, please?

Pernah tak nampak keadaan ini? “Satu family makan bersama, duduk semeja, tapi semua ahli keluarga sibuk tengok phone masing-masing”

I have seen it for many times… and it triggers me… I don’t want us my family to be like this..

So I have started my own self-challenge of putting the phone away when I am home. Baru start last week. Check on the phone only when daughter or husband is not around. Or only use the phone when I have to call people or pick up calls.

Basically the idea is to reduce the amount of time holding or gluing myself to the phone screen when I am at home or when I am around family members.

Personally, this challenge is not easy. I need to be really really emotionally strong. Especially since the last 10 years da terbiasa asyik nak check whatsapp messages, whatsapp status, check facebook timeline, check instagram, tgk youtube or bermacam short movie videos bagai. Astaghfirullah.

So these records are based on my own experience since I started this challenge…

1-  Felt sad when u already detox yourself from the smartphone but other beloved people still holds on to it. To me, the unspoken message to me is "scrolling the timeline is more important than spending quality time with you".

Remedy: Ajak ahli keluarga tersayang untuk join this challenge. If they insist to be glued to their phone, let them be until they learnt the lesson of “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone…”

I have learnt my lesson when I lose late Hanafee.. up to this day.. I still remember his words.. “Sayang, cukup-cukuplah twitter tu”. The next morning, he was gone… At that time, I did listen to him and stop twittering when he said that. I just wished he did not need to remind me at all.. I just wished that I would put the phone away when he’s around.

2- The stressfulness of having to consistently say "NO" when your daughter crying out loud begging for phone. Sampai keluar ayat “Mommy, you don’t love me…” Sampai kita terpaksa bebel walaupun kita tak nak bebel. Sampai bebelan kita termasuk orang lain.. “Handphone handphone handphone. Orang sana main phone, orang sini main phone, bla bla bla”

Remedy: Cuba lagi untuk slow-talk dengan anak and ajak dia buat aktiviti fun yang lain.

3- Some people generously utter "Tak baca whatsapp ke?", "Baik tak payah ade phone", “Anti-social”

Remedy: Tell the people about this challenge. Tell them to call if it’s really urgent. And tell them that your existence is this world bukan lah untuk check the phone every second of the day. Duh!

I hope I will stay strong and improve the quality of time with my family.

I hope people around me will support me and it would be best if they also do the same. Less time with phone around family members.