First, a disclaimer: I love my cell phone as much as the next person.

Now the “but”… but I think cell phones are stealing from us. Stealing our ever-elusive quality time.

The other day I was driving home from work and I saw a very young mom pushing her baby’s stroller down the sidewalk with her elbows while she was texting.  That same day, I saw a thirty-something mom talking on her cell phone while she did her grocery shopping, her little toddler sitting passively in the cart.

I wanted to scream, “You’re missing it!”

As a mom of a nearly 22-year-old, I know how quickly the time passes and how soon a baby becomes a young adult. When my son was a toddler, I did not have a cell phone. Did we even have cell phones then? Now, with the passing of time, I reflect upon all the moments I might have given away with the distraction of the phone.

Because of the benefit of hindsight, I know that some of the best times I had with my son, well into his teen years, were when we were in a situation of forced togetherness: the car, the store, taking a walk.

If I had been on my cell at the grocery store, would I have known that my toddler was afraid of having the cart parked near the “little trees” (broccoli)? Would I have felt the frustration, now reinterpreted as a happy memory, of the hundreds of times he wanted to pull up the water main cover when we took a walk? And, fast forwarding to the teen years, would I have known who Blink 182’s drummer was (Travis Barker) and why he was the best in my son’s eyes? Would I have listened over and over to some of the darker songs my metal-lover found so meaningful? Would I have known some of the secrets I do from the car confessionals if I had been on my phone?

In many ways our cell phones are fantastic. They give us a sense of security. They help us keep up with family and friends during “down time.” We know (or think we do) where our kids are. We know they can reach us any time an emergency arises…or they want to know what temperature to set to wash their clothes…or they need money. But while we gain, we also lose.

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