Dad shares, “I put the phone down to be ‘In The Moment’ with my son and it was a HUGE mistake!”

Aaron Gouveia, shares on Huffington Post why he regrets leaving his phone behind on a recent adventure with his young son.

On a fishing trip with his son Sam, Aaron realised he accidentally left his phone at home.

He thought pffft, let’s make the most of it, “Just a dad and his son. Fishing and paddling and talking and connecting with one another and nature. Besides, who needs a camera when the mind’s eye is so wondrous, right?”

Well eff that noise, because the answer is me — I need a camera. And going without my phone was absolutely awful, and I’m never doing it again!

“But the big reason I’ll forever kick myself for not going back for my phone is because Sam caught his first fish on this trip — and I missed it.”

When he realized he had a fish on he FREAKED OUT with excitement and began reeling like a madman. He was shouting “I’VE GOT A FISH! DADA I’VE GOT A FISH! I’M A REAL FISHERMAN!” and his shrieks could be heard clear across Populatic Pond.

He and the fish battled but eventually Sam got the better of him and plopped a smallmouth bass into the canoe. Once in the boat, Sam screamed “I CAUGHT A FISH ALL BY MYSELF!!!!!” with triumphant resonance. And as a proud papa, my smile widened as my eyes watered. And at that moment Sam turned to me, cocked his head to one side, and said something I’ll never forget.

“Dad, you got that on video right?”

Aaron adds, “I hate to break it to these professional parent-shamers, but it’s entirely possible to take pictures and videos of your kids and “be in the moment.” Using a smartphone to record kids and being present are not mutually exclusive things, and I’m not sure why it’s now socially acceptable to simply believe that’s the case. If you overdo it then sure, it can be a problem. That’s true for anything — especially dispensing judgmental parenting advice on the Internet.”

“I will hold on to the memory of Sam’s first fish for as long as my addled mind allows. But I sure do wish I had caught it on video.”

Read the full post here.

Read more at The Daddy Files, and follow Aaron on Twitter (@daddyfiles) and Facebook.

We LOVE this! He makes a great point. Although we can see what authorities are saying about being more alert and aware of children when in public areas.

Australian Police warn parents to put the phone down

PARENTS who let themselves get distracted by their mobiles while out with their children might as well be posting an ­invite for paedophiles to come and snatch their kids, shares Daily Telegraph.

Police are warning parents to focus on their children, not on Facebook, following a spate of attempted child abductions across Sydney.

“What I think is good to do is if parents are out in shopping centres with their children, tell them if you can’t see me and I can’t see you then we’re too far apart,” Police serious crime ­director John Kerlatec said.

Mr Kerlatec said parents needed to ensure they did not become distracted while watching their children in public.

“Any distraction, including mobile phones, would be a concern,” he said.

Which side do you sit in regards to phone use around children?

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