Only a fool would even try and enjoy anything that would take their attention away from their child. The kid did not ask to be born for there are lots and lots of ways to protect yourself from having children if you are not going to be a great mom or dad for that matter. Pay attention to your chidren. When the time comes for quiet time for yourself watch television, talk on the phone, have a drink, do your hair and nails or whatever you choose to do. Just pay attention to your children and dads you do the same.

Nothing makes me more sad than when I am out (let's say at the mall or grocery store) and there is a child desperately trying to get their parents attention as they are talking or texting away. Who is more important here people???

When I have a free moment, I am with my kids: playing, reading, making something - just talking. Those moments I get to spend with them are the highlight of my day. My wife, on the other hand, uses all her discretionary time to chat with "friends" on Facebook, or do god-knows-what in Second Life. In fact, she is so caught up in this online fantasy life, she is divorcing me; presumably so she can be the digital version of herself ALL the time for two weeks at a time, and every minute she can ignore the kids, the rest of the time. If I sound bitter about it, then I am getting my point across.

I use my share of technology, for sure, but aside from a quick email check when I get home, it can always wait 'til the kids are in bed - and that would go triple for any affairs or indiscretions. What snaps in someone's mind when they don't mind their kids seeing that sort of thing?

KIDS FIRST, NO EXCEPTIONS. Otherwise, don't have any.

Terrible example for the kids.

For the 47.5% who said they aren't distracted by their electronic devices, did you ask your kids before answering that question? You may not think so but their perspective may be really different.

Oh, okay, let us have a discussion about using our technological devices too much and ignoring our children. A bit redundant isn't it? BTW, you're all guilty of being techno-nerds. Log-off now and spend some time with the kids, or let the kids log-on.

Ozzie and Harriet didn't have these problems. Ooooo, they were the problem; ahhhh, now we're getting somewhere. Where?

I work in a child care facility. It saddens me every morning when I see parents dropping off their child and they can't hang up the phone long enough to say good bye. It just as bad in the afternoons during pick-up times. Their child has not seen them all day and yet they can't hang up their cell phones long enough to greet them. And we wonder why children are misbehaving. They are just trying to get some attention.

WOW. I don't have kids yet, but this is definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks for bringing it to my attention now.

I can see how this would start. With a newborn, many parents may chose to "multi-task" their time with technology, since the newborn probably won't notice. As the child becomes more aware, some parents may not realize that the child is actually able to notice their inattention.

However, I do think technology can make parenting a little easier. I remember when I was younger and I took piano lessons - 25 years ago. The lessons were a 30 minutes long at a desination 20 minutes away from my home. My mother couldn't leave and return, so she would sit in the car with a magazine. Today, she could bring her laptop and actually enjoy the peace and quiet.

Even now, I work at a place that gives dance lessons to children. The lessons are about 50 minutes long. Since this is a major metropolitan area, that's not long enough for a parent to leave and return on time, and they are just stuck waiting. Many of them bring laptops or phones while they're waiting.

So I am glad that when I have children, I will have something to do during the lessons and practices. (Of course, they will have my undivided attention during the recitals and games!) But I will be sure to limit my time when I'm spending time with my kids.

I think that everyone needs to limit their technology times, but obviously there are circumstances or jobs where it is not possible. There is less face-to-face interaction and now, even less via a telephone conversation. Scary. I had to ban texting at the dinner table. I looked around and both kids were texting nearly non-stop and my phone sat next to my plate. Can we please *share* a meal together? Wow.