Sunday, February 10, 2008

A Failure to Communicate

While sitting at my table in Seef Mall last nite I spent time watching other people sitting at tables around me. Somethings I couldnt help but notice:

1. on every table regardless of who sat there or the average age...sat a mobile...in some cases several mobiles...each mobile laid on the table directly in front of whomever it belonged to and each owner would glance at the mobile several times a minute. I was wondering if everyone having dinner at Seef Mall was expecting an important call...and didnt want to miss it....hmmmm?

2. at just about every table in which a Bahraini couple sat...whether or not they had children...the two were not speaking to each other...most of them didnt even look at each other. They looked extremely bored and only got animated when one or more kids came screaming up to the table. I have to admit...at most of the tables that had non bahraini couples...very animated discussions were going on...lots of talk and hand gestures...lots of eye contact and smiles.

I found it very sad actually that so little communication was going on...these were husbands and wives that apparently only found joy as mommy's and daddy's anymore...no talk unless kids were around. Its hard to understand since most Bahraini homes I have been in are always alive with chatter and communication to the point of I usually cant hear myself...at what point in a marriage do husbands and wives stop talking...when do they decide theres nothing left to talk about that doesnt involve the kids?

It seems like the technology age might have something to do with it...we are tuned into the net...out phones...the tv...we cant even be in the car without the radio turned on...which means we dont have time left over to tune into each other. Divorce is on the rise in Bahrain...more and more families are calling it quits...some of them not even lasting more than 3 years.

Isnt it about time we put down the mobiles...turn off the computers and tv...lower the volume on the radio...before our failure to communicate destroys the family unit all together?

btw..this applies to all nationalities..not just Bahrainis

1 comment:

missteacher said...

I agree the family unit is in trouble. We replace our parenting with video games and tv. The kids cannot have their own imagination due to this. The family unit starts with the parents and some parents forget this. If the parents aren't strong the family unit can and will fall apart. After all after the kids are gone where are the parents.