05/02/2026
Sometimes I watch teenagers wake up already holding their phones and I can’t help but think how different mornings used to feel.
Before they even get out of bed now, there are messages waiting. Notifications. Snap streaks. Group chats. Updates from people they haven’t even seen in years.
We used to wake up and just… wake up.
I miss being tethered to a wall phone.
I miss being outside until dark.
I miss not knowing what everyone else was doing all the time.
There was more space in the day back then.
And I honestly don’t think our nervous systems were designed to start the morning already connected to the entire world.
Technology does amazing things. I rely on it every day for work and connection just like everyone else.
But as a parent, it’s hard not to notice what constant connection is doing to attention, mood, sleep, and stress levels for kids—and honestly for adults too.
It’s not weakness.
It’s biology.
Our brains were never designed to process this much stimulation all day long.
Sometimes I think our bodies still remember what slower felt like.
And sometimes I catch myself wishing we could all go back to being unreachable until dinner time.