Mom Influencer Inspires Parents to Be Present as She Shows How Cell Phone Usage Affects Parenting
"You can be present but do they feel your presence?" Victoria Yavnyi captions her "Same Day Different Parenting" video
Cellphone consumption is a major topic of discussion right now, and one mom influencer is joining in on the conversation.
TikTok's Victoria Yavnyi launched a series called “Same Day Different Parenting,” which explores the implications of cellphone usage on parenting.
Each video of the series shows a split screen illustrating two different types of parenting: one where Yavnyi is attentive to her child, and the other where she is on her phone while watching her.
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When asked about the philosophy behind her “Same Day Different Parenting” videos, Yavnyi commented, “I hope to inspire parents. Too often we become shrouded in the chaos of life. Work, stress, finances, etc. It’s easy to turn to our devices & social media for an escape to help calm our minds.”
She continued, “While I believe that self-peace is crucial for our mental health and happiness, we sometimes don’t notice our children are growing up in the background. Unfortunately, the latter of the two seems to have become the norm in today’s society and my intention is to shed more light on this.”
Yavnyi went on to explain that while many parents want to be present for their children, sometimes life “is so distracting for us.”
“Too often I hear stories of regret from parents with children that have already grown up. For me, I just never want to look back with regret and say things like ‘I wish I spent more time with you’. Hindsight is 20/20 and it’s also too late. We have such a small window of time with our little ones and I hope we just all cherish it a little more.” Yavnyi said.
While many parents take photos and videos of their children as a mechanism to preserve time and memories, Yavnyi explained that digital documentation may prevent some from living in the moment.
“The preservation of memories is incredibly important and a part of who we are as human beings. It's in our nature. Documenting our lives can be traced back to the conception of human art in things as old as cave paintings, however, balancing is crucial.”
Yavnyi added, “My husband sometimes has to remind me that it’s okay to not take this one photo and instead join in on the memory. Sometimes it’s better being a part of the moment instead of seeing it through your screen in the future.”
While some TikTok users argue that both types of parenting are essential for your child’s growth, Yavnyi explained that her message doesn’t have to do with independence and self-entertainment.
Yavnyi recalled how she balances being a “mommy influencer” with her responsibilities as a parent. She also acknowledged that while her career is rooted in digital documentation, her work has allowed her to be “more self-aware of her consumption of digital life.”
Yavnyi concluded by sharing her thoughts on “sharenting,” the act of sharing content on social media without your child’s consent.
“There’s definitely a spectrum in my opinion. It’s normal for people to want to share pictures and videos of themselves and their families. Before social media we hung up pictures and shared our photo albums. Then technology advanced and sharing on social media became the new norm. I believe both are acceptable as long as the right intentions are there.”
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