In my house, we no longer have kids but we do have a Welsh Terrier, Brandywine.  Instead of just getting her feelings hurt by my tech preoccupations as do the kids in this study, she makes her views of technology clear in a direct way.

When she has had it with how long I am on the computer, she sits next to me and, with her right paw, taps the keyboard three times as if to say, “Turn that off right now.” Fortunately, she does not bite it—one child described in the full New York Times story below bit the parent.

She also is so overjoyed when she hears the universal sound of the computer shutting down—the ta-da-da-da notes which make up the number one song on the hit parade of computer users—that she hops down and does the three circles of joy dogs dance when it is happy time.  Finally!

The difference between me and these over-worked parents described below is that I have learned to stop and give her my full attention at various times throughout the day. Full attention.

Now that she understands the laptop and Blackberry do not own us, she is more tolerant of my work load. Still, she has set my limits. I’d best stay within them. Don’t push her too far, no matter how big the deadline.

That paw can come down on the keyboard any time.  “Don’t make me come over there again.” She might as well be saying those words. Terriers excel at making their views understood. Children do not always know how to do that.

The study below is not about comical responses to parental preoccupations with their devices.

It shows that there are three different points in parent-child reaction where the Blackberry can can between parent and child in ways that may harm their relationship.

The New York Times

…”Sherry Turkle, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Initiative on Technology and Self, has been studying how parental use of technology affects children and young adults. After five years and 300 interviews, she has found that feelings of hurt, jealousy and competition are widespread. Her findings will be published in “Alone Together” early next year by Basic Books.

“In her studies, Dr. Turkle said, “Over and over, kids raised the same three examples of feeling hurt and not wanting to show it when their mom or dad would be on their devices instead of paying attention to them: at meals, during pickup after either school or an extracurricular activity, and during sports events.” (Emphasis added)

Source: New York Times, June 9, 2010