I attended a bachelorette party last weekend with 22 girls. Yes, you read that correctly- 22 girls. That means 22 attitudes, 22 voices, 22 opinions and naturally, 22 phones desperate to text boyfriends, post on social media and add memories to their Snapchat stories.
I'll admit, sometimes it's hard to talk to anyone when that many girls have their noses in their phones, but that's the world we live in. That is, until one over-zealous bridesmaid decided at lunch to take everyone's phones and place them in the middle of the table. If you picked up your phone, you had to take a shot and buy one for the bride. Most of us were irritated by this because A) we're adults and B) no one wants to be taught a lesson on a bachelorette weekend.
Before the fateful 'no phones' lunch
Everyone gave up their phones, except for me because I'm a rebel, and I ended up getting caught because I was trying to show people photos of my horrible spray tan. So, my pretty expensive lunch (you forget how much shots cost) got me thinking about the presence of cell phones at the table. Here's my five rules for the topic. I'm probably in the minority because most people would ban cell phones completely, but you've got to be realistic.
- Photos are fine- If you want to take a photo or show a photo to the group in order to capture memories and share experiences, that is 100 percent fine. Anything that sparks conversations with the people you are eating with has my approval. However, don't get side tracked. Once the photo has made its rounds, put your phone away.
- Keep texting to a bare minimum- If you're eating with a small or large group of people, try to not text, and obviously don't take a phone call unless it is absolutely urgent. Your mom, boyfriend and dog-sitter can wait an hour while you eat with your friends. Texting at the table makes you look disengaged and even irritable.
- Step back from social media- I understand if you quickly want to post a photo, but resist the urge to scroll through the last hour of posts. That will all be waiting for you when your meal is done.
- Don't phone shame- If someone at the table insists on breaking the rules and using their phone constantly, don't publicly shame them and tell them to put it away. That will only make them more likely to immerse themselves in the tech world so they don't have to speak to you.
- Leave the phone in your bag- If you don't want to be tempted at all, then leave your cell phone in your pocket or in your purse. Having it sitting on your lap, or worse, the table makes it look as though you're just waiting for something better to come up. If you have to pull your phone out for whatever reason, make sure it goes back to its hidden state when you're done.
Manners Moral: Texting at the table isn't as taboo as it used to be, but that doesn't mean your phone should be out the entire time. Take a minute to enjoy the people you are with, and the delicious food you're about to Instagram.