What We Moms Are Actually Doing When We Pull Out Our Smartphones


What Moms Are Actually Doing On Their SmartphonesWe moms who are tied to our smartphones tend to get a pretty bad rap, don’t we? 

We’re accused of ignoring our kids in favor of wasting time on Facebook. 

We’re accused of missing out on precious moments because we’d rather stare at a screen. 

We’re accused of not doing our jobs as moms. 

I think that’s a load of baloney.

Did it ever occur to anyone that when we pull out our smartphones, we’re actually doing our job as a mom, not neglecting it?

Because being a mom isn’t just about playing with your kids or watching them attentively all the time.

It’s also about making sure they have food on the table and good friends to play with. It’s about ensuring they’re not late for school or swim lessons or soccer practice. 

And our smartphonesโ€”which are capable of doing almost any taskโ€”help us do all of those things. They help us stay on top of our entire lives, really.

So before you roll your eyes at the mama on her smartphone, consider that she’s probably doing one of these.

What Moms are Actually Doing on Their Smartphones

Share this on Facebook!

Adding apples to her electronic grocery list so that her children get some fresh fruit.

Putting the baby’s pediatrician appointment on the shared family calendar so that Dad knows when it is.

Responding to a request for a playdate.

Editing a photo of the kids to send to the grandparents who live out of town.

Scheduling babysitting for next week.

Googling recipes for tonight’s dinner so her kids will actually eat it.

Checking the weather to see if she should send a jacket along tomorrow. 

Texting her sister to coordinate the upcoming joint family vacation.

Setting an alarm for some ridiculously early hour so she can get some things done before everyone else wakes up.

Looking up directions to a destination so she’s not tempted to do it unsafely while driving with her kids in the car.

Reading safety reviews of the bike her kid asked for from Santa Claus. 

Purchasing a helmet. 

Monitoring her bank account to make sure she’s on top of the month’s budget so she can save for her kids’ college funds.

Downloading the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song as requested by her toddler.

Emailing her boss to say she’ll be late tomorrow due to her child’s dentist appointment.

Making herself a reminder about anything because if she doesn’t, there’s zero chance her crammed brain will remember.

Checking the time to see how late her family is undoubtedly running

Browsing craft ideas to make with the kids on the next rainy afternoon.

Leaving her husband a voicemail to kindly ask him to pick up milk on the way home from work. 

Sharing an article about the latest infant car seat recall with another mom who needs to read it.

And yes, sometimes checking Facebookโ€”because she needs and deserves a break!


So you see? We can’t assume the mom on her smartphone is ignoring her mothering duties. Most of the time, she’s actually fulfilling them.

Share this on Facebook!

What mom tasks do you use your smartphone to take care of?

image via Aleksandar Mijatovic/Dollar Photo Club


25 responses to “What We Moms Are Actually Doing When We Pull Out Our Smartphones”

  1. Love this! Besides, if I see a mom out in public (like at the park) on a smart phone, I’m more likely to think, “Awesome mom, taking her kids to the park to play, I should do that more often.” Let’s just say that at my age, I don’t feel the same thrill climbing through tunnels and going down the slide. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  2. Good article! It’s hard to manage a household and be an involved Mom because there has to be some give and take on what you can do at any given moment.

  3. What a great perspective! I just think balance is key. I’m not afraid to be on my smart phone in front of kids. It’s all about making good choices and still finding time in the busyness of everyday life to make eye contact, be silly and really play together. Outside of that…smart phones will always be a part of our home life. Sharing!

  4. Absolute truth! Recently at the playground, I made work calls, scheduled the babysitter and ordered groceries while the kids were playing. When I’m playing with the kids, my phone is away. But if they are occupied, and I have a few minutes, I’m going to get something done.

  5. I check my phone for email, texts, and adding reminders to it. I try to stay off the phone as much as possible when I’m with my kids. I don’t want to be a bad example for them.

  6. I assumed moms were checking the Rockies’ scores and reading my blog.

    I know better than to judge a mom for the smartphone. I think a mom is a swoony creature, and her ability to manage everything is a big part of that.

  7. I agree that so much of our smartphone usage is for worthwhile tasks. I keep a running shopping list on mine and do many other tasks on it. I do also waste plenty of time on it, too, unfortunately.

    I think more important than knowing exactly what another mom is doing on her phone, is getting out of the habit of constantly making snap judgements about other people. Choose to expect the best from people. See the good. And give grace when needed. Then we will all be much more pleasant people to be around. ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. We might also be reading a book on our phones, which we might not get a chance to do otherwise. If I get distracted by something on my phone, I tell the other people I’m with, “excuse me, while I…” So they realize they are important, but there is something I need to take a moment to handle. It’s the same as if someone else walked in the room and joined the conversation. Right!?!

  9. Checking the carbohydrate count on whatever food my son is eating so I can accurately dose his insulin. My smartphone also helps keep one of my children alive and healthy.

  10. I saw a mom on her mobile phone at a bus stop, while her toddler pushed the pram with a baby in it into traffic on Nicholson Road, CanningVale.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.