Additional Coverage:
- When my 4-year-old named her imaginary friend ‘Instagram,’ I was mortified. It was a sign I needed to adjust my own screen time. (businessinsider.com)
Vacation Epiphany: When My Daughter’s Imaginary Friend Forced Me to Confront My Phone Habit
My recent family vacation to Thailand was filled with idyllic moments: my four-year-old daughter gleefully splashing in the pool, newly confident in her swimming abilities. We played silly games, pretending to be zookeepers and escaping lions. But then came a moment that stopped me in my tracks.
“Now I will play with my imaginary friends,” she declared.
“That’s nice,” I responded, “What are their names?”
“Rosie and Instagram,” she chirped, before paddling off.
Instagram? My heart sank.
Had my social media habit become so ingrained that it had infiltrated my daughter’s world of make-believe? The thought was both horrifying and strangely hilarious.
For the rest of our trip, “Instagram” remained a prominent figure in my daughter’s imaginary world, while I wrestled with my own very real digital dependence.
A quick check of my phone’s screen time tracker delivered a sobering blow: I was picking up my device an average of 176 times a day. Doing the math, it meant I was tethered to my phone roughly every five minutes during my waking hours.
No wonder my daughter was so familiar with the platform. It likely stemmed from the countless times I’d pointed my phone at her, uttering the phrase, “I just want a nice picture for Instagram.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. When I asked my daughter what she thought Instagram was, she replied, “Where you buy things from.” While relieved she didn’t fully grasp the photo-sharing aspect, I was equally concerned she perceived my phone use as constant online shopping.
The remainder of our vacation became a conscious effort to disconnect. I left my phone behind, forcing myself to be present with my children, to savor the moments instead of documenting them.
There were slip-ups, of course. The lure of the online world was sometimes too strong to resist.
But I was determined to find a balance.
By the end of our trip, I hadn’t completely banished my phone, but I had developed a greater awareness of my usage. My daughter’s imaginary friend, “Instagram,” had served as an unexpected wake-up call, a reminder that the most precious moments are the ones we experience fully, not through the lens of a screen. It’s a lesson I’m committed to carrying with me long after the vacation tan has faded.