Since smartphones became the norm, parents have faced constant criticism about using them. And as we've become more dependent on our phones thanks to the constant onslaught of apps and other things we use to complete basic life tasks, the criticisms have only gotten louder. Parents are often accused of ignoring their children in favor of being on their phones, or being distracted, or using their phones as babysitters. But a lot of that criticism seems excessive.
One Texas mom shared a note like this from several years ago that her daughter's day care posted. The note takes a firm stance on parents' phone use, and it doesn't hold back. Parents are divided on the note, with some praising it and others taking offense with the tone.
More from CafeMom: Mom Warns Parents To Check Their Kids' Phones After Receiving the 'Scariest' Phone Call
The message was blunt.
Mom Juliana Farris Mazurkewicz from Hockley, Texas, shared the since-deleted picture on Facebook, writing, "Posted at the daycare today!"
"You are picking up your child! GET OFF YOUR PHONE!!!!" the sign, which was taped to a window, began.
The note was a rant about the way parents act at pickup.
"We have seen children trying to hand their parents their work they completed and the parent is on the phone," the note continued. "We have heard a child say 'Mommy, mommy, mommy …' and the parent is paying more attention to their phone than their own child. It is appalling."
While the message was strongly worded, it wasn't necessarily poorly received. "I was a bit shocked, but I didn’t feel any negativity towards the day care," Mazurkewicz told CNN. "I know that the staff has the best interests of the children in mind, even to the point where they are willing to offend the parent."
Other parents at the school saw no issue with the note.
Speaking with ABC News, Mazurkewicz said that she was "surprised that they would be so bold, but also I liked it. I thought it was on point."
Coley Sloan Jones, who had a stepchild at the day care, also spoke with ABC News. "I thought it was a valid reminder to parents to be aware and attentive to their child or children," she said. "Sometimes other things can wait, including a phone call." However, she did state that there could be exceptions.
More from CafeMom: 6-Year-Old Uses Dad's Phone To Order $1,000 Worth of Food on GrubHub at Bedtime
People had a lot of feelings about the warning.
"There's a big divide in the comments. Half the people are saying it's not the day care's business what paying customers do, and the other half are saying that it's great they are looking after the children's well-being," Mazurkewicz told the outlet.
Comments on the post certainly varied.
"I am appalled that a day care would post this," one commenter wrote. "I agree fully with the statement but abhor shaming. If this kind of shaming is done publicly, I hate to think of what happens to the children in their care."
Another person wrote: "You can’t take a minute to greet your child and ask how their day went? Sad."
One mom took major offense to the post.
While a lot of people didn't mind the messaging of the note, one mom on Facebook took offense, and let her stance be known.
Constance Hall, a mom blogger and former contestant on Big Brother Australia shared a scathing response to the note writing: "even when I work, my phone is never out of reach. In case my kids need me, like my phone, I never turn off." She went on to share a story about showing up to her kids' day care with her phone in hand before she "shoved my phone into my into my mouth to hug them because I had no free hands."
"A loving mum looks like many things, she is open armed hugs, she is distracted on her phone and sometimes she isn't even there," she wrote. "But the sooner you realise that you have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on in other people's lives the better for everyone."
