Social media may haveits evils but it sure is a great communication tool!

TIS hard times when you have to resort to creating a WhatsApp group on your phone to communicate with your children but that was what I did this week. I can’t even take credit for the idea. It was a friend who told me she had done it because she got so fed up of shouting at her own 3 kids to come and get their dinner.

Now she communicates with them via WhatsApp and there’s no more shouting. I have to say I think it’s bloody genius! Some of you with perfect children (there’s no such thing by the way) or with no children at all may think this indicates poor parenting. Reality Check: No it doesn’t. If you are at the coalface of parenthood you will know that it shows lateral thinking and a large helping of common sense.

I could be blue in the face shouting at my two offspring and they still wouldn’t respond. I still haven’t figured out if they’re deliberately ignoring me or actually

YESTERDAY I TOOK BREAKFAST ORDERS VIA WHATSAPP...IS IT LAZY PARENTING? MAYBE, BUT IT BLOODY WELL WORKS!

not hearing me because they either have ear phones on, or are plugged into a PlayStation. Either way the neighbours must think I’m a complete harridan for the amount of bellowing that goes on chez nous.

And what makes it even more annoying when you do finally manage to get their attention after screaming their name for five minutes, they look at you blankly and say, ‘what?’

If you’ve been roaring at them for five minutes you’re doing it for a reason, not for the good of your health and yet they still look at you like, ‘Is it really necessary to shout at me and what do you want me for?’

So I set up the WhatsApp thingy and messaged them to tell them their dinner was on the table. They were sitting down within seconds, admittedly still complaining about the food and the service, but I didn’t have to shout.

Bedtime was a similar story. Normally The Youngest is told to go to bed at least 3 times before she actually concedes defeat. Now we whatsapp her, to give her a ten minute countdown and we don’t even have to switch off Netflix!

Yesterday I took breakfast orders via whatsapp and had it ready when I summoned them to the table. Normally there’s a whole big rigmarole about what cereal they want etc. Is it lazy parenting? Maybe, but it bloody well works!

It’s all very well saying that social media is the devil’s spawn but this is how the youth of today communicate. And well, to be frank, if you can’t beat them, you may as well join em.

As for Himself it’s done wonders for our relationship! We’re communicating better than ever. Last night’s digital conversation went like this : Family WhatsApp Group: Me: bring us down a magnum when you’re coming to bed. Himself: Will do.