Switch off those apps and go and talk to someone instead

Rosemary recently had her first A&E trip. It was a big adrenaline rush with an anti-climactic, but reassuringly simple, diagnosis. The thing is though, when I was winding down in the evening, what I did was blog about it. I didn’t phone my mum or my sister to tell them (I think I probably would have if she’d broken a rib or something, but who can know for sure?). And then, in the morning, when I was handing Eleanor over to my mum, I just asked if she’d seen the post and we discussed it a bit. The first my sister knew about it was a tweet link the next morning. 

It struck me then that, since my mum and sister are now on Twitter and Facebook and both read the blog, I’m less likely to call them to tell them something or just have a chat. I assume they’re reading blog posts, tweets and Facebook statuses and can ask for further elucidation if necessary. And Chris has been bemoaning for a while now the fact that he finds out some things the girls (or I) have done first on my Twitter feed rather than directly from me. Fair enough. Sometimes it’s more immediate to tweet ‘Eleanor just took her nappy off and peed on the lawn’ or ‘Rosemary just did a picture and wants to sell it for a pound’, than running upstairs to tell Chris in person. And, well, I’d forget if I didn’t record it right away, wouldn’t I?

Of course, in some ways, social media like Facebook means we are seeing and hearing more about people than we otherwise would – there are lots of people from school whose children’s photos would otherwise have remained hidden until the 25th reunion. There are relatives who I’d probably only see at weddings and funerals, but who I now chat with and share silly stories and happy news. This is lovely (though I know not everyone thinks so).

But what I’m not happy with is how social media is actually distancing me from those closest to me – my sister, my mum, even my husband, and from some of my closest friends, who I haven’t spoken to in months or years, but whose holiday snaps and business successes I have followed with interest.

So, I’m going to try to phone one friend or relative a week and talk to them properly rather than relying on status updates and mobile uploads. And I’m going to try to make sure I tell Chris more of the funny and clever stuff I see the girls doing before tweeting them or putting them on Facebook. Probably. I will try. And my sister and my mum will definitely get a call next time I have to go to Casualty!