Us humans are funny animals. We so often think we alone are the ones doing something the right way, we pat ourselves on the back for our superiority and shake our heads at all those poor, unenlightened folk we see around us. However, to really be the best version of ourselves we have to do something which, for many, doesn’t come easily – admit we’re wrong! LA14 are taking part in a technology programme which will help them to understand their own technology habits and develop new, healthier ones. In preparing this programme for delivery, I completed the parent course which helps the adults to go through the same process, and I’ll admit I was surprised and a little guilty with what I found out about myself. It takes a decent amount of openness to accept our own faults. As a result of what I discovered, whenever my family and I go for a meal out we make it a no-phone-zone event. Sure, we take our devices (after all, you never know when an emergency may occur), but we do NOT get them out, we don’t “check in” (after all, we’re already with the people who matter most) and we certainly don’t take “selfies”. We just communicate. Obviously, when we get home we can post about where we’ve been for the night and say what a great time we had, but this is after the meal. Trust me, this makes for a much nicer night; it’ll also open your eyes wide to the families around you who are frequently on their phones, often parents while their young children either sit forlornly or run about annoying everyone else. We’ve now taken this practice even further. My wife and I have ditched the couch at mealtimes and now every meal is taken at the table with no devices, not even the tv. Don’t let this get you thinking that we’re odd, it’s a great time to catch up. Sometime families eat in the same room but they’re not together. The presence of devices means they’ve already started the process of separation which only increases throughout the teenage years. Online friends replace family as being more important, even at those most natural moments when the family unit should be reconnecting after a day physically and mentally apart. We take lost family meal times for granted at our peril! Habits aren’t bad things in themselves, but just make sure your habits are good ones not bad ones.