Pathetic Display of Parenting!!

[HDWRENCH]

GOOD going .

[Fishndude]

No, I don't care for all these cell phones and their use now days either but its part of it and disgusting at times in seeing people abuse them. Yes, the guy should've at least acknowledged her occasionally but we just don't always know what people are going through or putting up with at the time. All parents are different, even different at certain times, the guy may be a great dad at home ... we just never know.
Have 2 boys of my own and they are grown now, I tried to always spend quality time with them and like all of us, failed at times. Oh for the times we could go back and correct the failures though.
I wouldn't judge too harshly here.

I agree and certainly didn’t claim to be perfect during my parenting tenure.

I didn’t judge harshly although “pathetic” may have been a little harsh. My words were gentle.

[monsterspike]

he probably was truly busy and not thinking. im sure ive made the same mistake. the fact that she bothers to ask him to look tells me that typically he is attentive.

[asu-indian]

Way to go dude. You've made the world a better place. You may never know how that one sentence changed the lives of those two forever.

[AntlerCollector]

Some guys just don't deserve the title of daddy.

That baby was starving for her daddy's attention. I promise nothing on his phone was more important. They grow up way too fast, and that fool is gonna miss out on a lot.

[Randy]

“to the moon and back”

Good job Jeff... that dad just needed a nudge.

Continued Prayer for you and the Mrs

Well said.

I couldn't imagine life without my daughter.

I cannot stand people who take their children for granted.

[capt341]

Good for you, Jeff.

[cj_sandman]

I’ve been trying to read this post for the last ten minutes but my kids just keep interrupting me with “daddy, daddy” every five seconds. Geez.

Just kidding.. great post. The world is a better place when we as humans take the time to interact with our fellow man, instead of looking the other way. Children develop best with lots of attention, too.

[Burnadell]

Well alrighty!

Jeff, you are coming along very nicely in your training! The GOF group might consider an early induction if you demonstrate a few more examples of your irascible attitude!

[Artos]

Proud to call you a friend Jeff!!

Regardless of the actual parenting skills, I think that is something that is going to sit with him for a long time...I'm sure he was embarrassed too since he took the bait. A real DB would have kept his nose in the phone & ignored you all together.

[lovemylegacy]

Earlier this morning, I went to get my hair cut. While waiting, a young(35ish) dad came in with a ten(ish) year old boy about a 4 year old girl. The boy went to the chair for his haircut. The girl sat to play at the little play area they have set up with legos and etc. The girl would play for about a minute , building and being creative. She would say, “look daddy” and daddy would just stare blankly into his phone, never speaking or acknowledging her existence. This happened repeatedly until I couldn’t take it any more. I finally said to the girl, “you’re doing great, I’m not too busy on my phone to admire your work.” I figured at that point, either I was gonna get my *** kicked or I was gonna make a point. Well, dad chose the latter and put his phone down and never looked at it again.

Ya, it’s none of my business, but every time I heard that little girl say, “daddy”, it made me think of my child and how I’d give any amount of blood, sweat, money or tears to hear her call out to me again for ten seconds of my time. It was pathetic, and the gof in me just spoke out.

Jeff, if he was able to read what I just read, he would have appreciated it as much as I do right now. You may have made a difference in his and his daughters' life.

[Mudslinger]

FND, I applaud what you did with little gal! Hopefully that so called Dad recognizes his downfall as a parent, but I doubt it! Seen way to many ENTIRE families on cell phones sitting in a restaurant not paying attention to anyone or family!

[monsterspike]

how this be explained this to The Lord?

im sure i made plenty of mistakes. im sure this was one of the many.

[Buckley99]

Some guys just don't deserve the title of daddy.

That baby was starving for her daddy's attention. I promise nothing on his phone was more important. They grow up way too fast, and that fool is gonna miss out on a lot.

That’s quite the assessment after one screen shot into this guy’s life. Maybe he is a terrible dad, maybe he’s not. Maybe there is something at play that none of us are aware of. I’m a dad of two and I’m sure there have been dozens of “screen shot” moments in my parenting career where someone could have made the claim “that fool doesn’t deserve the title of dad”.

Thankfully, most of us aren’t judged by moments but more by patterns and habits. I don’t fault the OP for saying something but I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and question another man’s performance as a dad by one perceived misstep.

A wise man once said, those without sin cast the first stone...

[DRT]

I've had many a day where I was wrapped up in work on my day off. Be it a Friday night football game when my daughter was marching or we on a family vacation dealing with things at work over the phone was a reality for my job.
He may have been playing on Facebook or shopping on Amazon but he may also have been putting in a job application or dealing with a work issue. Judge him not too harshly.
Still, the gentle nudge from Jeff seemed to help him see what was right in front of him.

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