Everyone Wins - May 26, 2022 | Kids Out and About Orange County <

Everyone Wins

May 26, 2022

Debra Ross

Remember family get-togethers when you were a kid, in the days before devices? In my family, these occasions were simple: The adults would bring food, lay it out, put on some music, and shoo the kids outside. We kids would soon get past the awkwardness of not having seen our second cousins during the past year or two, and pretty soon we'd be racing around playing whatever made-up game would most annoy the adults, in between dodging to the food table to grab hot dogs.

These days, the ever-hypnotic lure of the smartphone gets in the way of real connection, even at parties: After all, why work to overcome your social discomfort when you can just bury your nose in your device? I worry about our society's tendency increasingly to take the easy way out, and how parents inadvertently send the message that it's okay to substitute phones for family when it takes effort to reconnect at gatherings.

How's this for an idea: Decide you're going to take back your Memorial Day (or Fourth of July, or birthday, or anniversary, or family reunion). Sweeten the deal by bringing a nice door prize everyone would like to win (it needn't be expensive) and a box. At the beginning of the party, everyone surrenders his or her phone into the box, and then at the end the youngest party-goer draws out one phone to win. Some may grumble, but trust me: When the story of the party gets told, you'll be the hero.Debra Ross, publisher

And what about helping the kids connect with each other during the party, especially the ones having a tough time? We've got just the resource for you: our article Free Games to Play During Family Get-Togethers. Peruse the options before you head out the door, and maybe even print it or jot down some notes... on, you know, paper. After all, your phone won't exactly be handy.

Deb