Torah Reading: Balak

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Are You a Cell Phone?

by Mrs. Lori Palatnik

When your kids come home, hang up the phone.

Published: December 4, 2010

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Visitor Comments: 14

(14) Anonymous, January 5, 2011 8:52 PM

What a mussar! thank you!

(13) Adina Pantea, January 2, 2011 6:17 PM

I am so happy not to be a cell phone mom for my son!!!

(12) , December 7, 2010 11:54 PM

What a beautiful reminder

I fear that in the same assignment--I would absolutely be the cell phone--On the flip side of that--I have two beautifully grown children--Today is my daughter Lisa's 36th birthday and I am taking her to dinner in twenty minutes--Great article--Thank you

(11) shoshana, December 7, 2010 9:28 PM

kids need our attention

I personally can't talk on the phone while I'm doing soemthing else. If my son wants to speak with me, or is noisy, wants me to help him with soemthing I can't comcentrate listening to him and the person on the other end of the line., at the same time. I am picking between one or the other.

(10) Solange, December 7, 2010 5:39 PM

Being optimisic, couldn't it mean that you're allways available

(9) Anonymous, December 7, 2010 5:05 PM

Thanks for the reminder that children should be given the same attention and symbol of esteem as our dear husbands. To feel important is an invaluable gift that should be imparted daily.

(8) Mirjam, December 7, 2010 4:51 PM

Eye-opener

Thank you for this lesson. I'm a laptop but I want to be a good mother...

(7) Anonymous, December 7, 2010 4:01 PM

a great exercise for all families

How insightful. I will ask my children (in college) to do this exercise when they come home for the holidays. I wonder what symbol I will be; I hope that it will be something meaningful, but if it is not, I hope that I will learn from it. Thanks Lori!

(6) Kent Rose, December 6, 2010 1:01 AM

Thank you

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your Lori almost live blog and have since 2005. It has been a wonderful guide for me and my wife and has given alternate views of so many different things in our life journey. Thanks again Kent

(5) Anonymous, December 6, 2010 12:12 AM

My mom is totally a cell phone. I'm going to have her watch this video lol. I'm 21 so it doesn't bother me like it did when I was younger, but I think it's true that parents should show their children that they deserve their attention. Otherwise, the child might act out to get attention, and no one wants that! :)

(4) SusanE, December 5, 2010 10:05 PM

So, are you still the Laundry Basket?

Thanks Lori, for the story. What would your kids draw about the family today? I am going to ask my adult kids to do that. I think it will be revealing, and I hope in a good way. I know I won't be a cell phone.

(3) , December 5, 2010 10:01 PM

I am not a cell phone, I am a computer!

(2) Mitch, December 5, 2010 3:26 PM

Great column!

Excellent ideas!

(1) Rosen, December 5, 2010 9:31 AM

device characterization

When kids come home or need their parents for a question, it would not only be cell phones distracting their parents, but they could be reading or watching TV being too distracted to help their children...I can admit that I am often on my laptop computer a lot, and that could be a device that could almost define me...All in all, we tend to be focused on one thing from start to finish and that everything else can be held off, similarly to when we focus on problems thinking we can't move onto anything unless everything is resolved first thereby depriving fun and other important things in life.

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About the Author

Mrs. Lori Palatnik

More by this Author >

Lori Palatnik is a writer and Jewish educator who has appeared on television and radio, and is the author of "Friday Night and Beyond: The Shabbat Experience Step-By-Step," "Remember My Soul - What to do in Memory of a Loved One," and co-author of "Gossip: 10 Pathways to Eliminate It From Your Life and Transform Your Soul." She is a much sought-after international speaker, having lectured in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Central America, South America, South Africa and Israel, including featured talks at Yale, Brown and Penn. She lives in the Washington D.C. area, with her husband, Rabbi Yaakov Palatnik. Lori is the Founder of The Jewish Women's Renaissance Project, an international initiative that brings over 1,000 women to Israel each year from ten different countries on highly subsidized programs to inspire them with the beauty and wisdom of their heritage. She is the busy mother of five children, ages 24 to 14; and her son, Zev, just finished serving as a sharpshooter in the IDF. Her weekly video blog, "Lori Almost Live" is a popular feature on aish.com, viewed by over 50,000 people each month.

Follow Lori on Twitter, @LoriAlmostLive

June 20, 2013 / 12 Tammuz 5773

Are You a Cell Phone?

When your kids come home, hang up the phone.

Visitor Comments: 14

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