Moms Talk: About Electronic Distractions — Unsubscribe!

When we go to the ball park or stadium, we are blasted with electronic ads streaming across every functional surface. When we log onto our favorite websites, we are initially bombarded with ads, videos and the most recent big distraction: The Deal of the Day!

With regard to email, most of us reach a point of frustration and start unsubscribing from the various businesses that have managed to get our email address, and changing our junk mail settings to limit the unwanted traffic in our inbox.

As our kids get older, they become a victim of this too. They start getting emails from coaches, teachers, bosses, colleges and organizations. Just like us, whenever they sign up with a new organization or join an incentive program with a store, the email address is part of the registration.

On top of that, I have become a culprit myself by forwarding emails to my teen because I don't know whether I'll connect with him to convey the "critical" information, whether it's a dental reminder, lacrosse referee opportunity or the "National Organization of (enter your Organization here)" latest update or special deal on gear. So I've been unwittingly adding to an increasing pile of mail, creating additional distractions in a world that's already too full. Worse yet, I think these messages show up on his smart phone too, increasing the opportunity for distraction.

This is just a reminder to take stock and think about how much email bombardment our kids are suffering from, and how can we help them reduce the unwanted mail. Step one, I'll stop forwarding the stuff that's not critical! Step two, teach them how to "unsubscribe.