but that aside, this past weekend has been one spent observing modern parents. by definition, modern would mean that they'd be born at most a decade before me, and at the same time wondering if this is an inkling of what i would experience in future.

there were three couples having dinner - each with their kids in tow. one couple had three kids, all below ten and the mother came in halfway through the dinner straight from the airport after flying back from a business trip. the other two couples each had a child/infant who was less than a year old and the parents were juggling between talking with each other, enjoying flutes of champagne, pacifying/feeding their kids and it was quite a sight for me. it's quite intriguing how the dynamics of friendships change as we move through phases of life. it's no longer just about you and your friend, or just double dating, instead, you start talking about your children and at some point in time, phones were passed around as the proud parents showed each other photographs of their pride and joy. then when the children start clamouring and jostling for attention, out came the iPads to placate them and they would just sit quietly, as if technology had cast a spell. 

talking with other modern mothers has made me arrive at a conclusion - they refuse to let their kids play with an iPad or iPhone at mealtimes, but there are times when all other modes of engagement fail and the kids need to be occupied so that the parents can enjoy their meal or engage in conversation, technology is used as a last resort. my parents certainly didn't need to stimulate me with technology to keep me quiet at mealtimes twenty years ago, but twenty years into the future, i wonder if i would fall into the technology trap.