From the Wall Street Journal article “Blackberry Orphans”:
Emma Colonna wishes her parents would behave, at least when they’re out in public. The ninth-grade student in Port Washington, N.Y., says she has caught her parents typing emails on their Treos during her eighth-grade awards ceremony, at dinner and in darkened movie theaters. “During my dance recital, I’m 99% sure they were emailing except while I was on stage,” she says. “I think that’s kind of rude.”
Emma, 14, also identifies with adults who wish their kids spent less time playing videogames. “At my student orientation for high school, my mom was playing solitaire,” she says. “She has a bad attention span.” Her mother, Barbara Chang, the chief executive of a nonprofit group, says, “It’s become this crutch.”
Safety is another issue. Will Singletary, a 9-year-old in Atlanta, doesn’t approve of his dad’s proclivity for typing while driving. “It makes me worried he’s going to crash,” he says. “He only looks up a few times.” His dad, private banker Ross Singletary, calls it “a legit concern.” He adds: “Some emails are important enough to look at en route.”
Some mental-health professionals report that the intrusion of mobile email gadgets and wireless technology into family life is a growing topic of discussion in therapy. They have specific tips for dealing with the problem, like putting the device in a drawer during a set time period every day. “A lot of kids are upset by it,” says Geraldine Kerr, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Morristown, N.J. She says parents need to recognize that some situations require undivided attention. When you shut off the device, she says, “You’re communicating nonverbally that ‘you matter and what’s important to you is important to me.’ ”
Still, like teenagers sneaking cigarettes behind school, parents are secretly rebelling against the rules. The children of one New Jersey executive mandate that their mom ignore her mobile email from dinnertime until their bedtime. To get around their dictates, the mother hides the gadget in the bathroom, where she makes frequent trips before, during and after dinner. The kids “think I have a small bladder,” she says. She declined to be named because she’s afraid her 12- and 13-year-old children might discover her secret.
Some would retitle this phenomenon “Crackberry Orphans”. It’s pretty sad. The article mentions that part of the blame goes to corporations who give their employees Blackberries in order to maximize their efficiency while not in the office.
I currently have a love affair with my laptop and with email, both personal and listserv emails. I’m afraid to see my addictive personality at work if I were given a Blackberry. I especially hope I’m not like the above parents when I have children, yikes. And the Wall Street Journal compiled a healthy 12-step list for addicts, I like it so i’m sharing it below:
We sought advice for curbing the habitual email itch from a nearly a dozen professionals — a time-management expert, professors and therapists who specialize in family counseling and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Here are their recommendations:
1. During meals, do not check email.
2. Do not hide your email habits from family members. If you feel that someone would be upset to see you BlackBerrying, it’s a sign that you probably shouldn’t be.
3. Commit to stop emailing while driving (even at red lights), walking across the street or doing anything that requires careful attention.
4. Do not check email for the first hour of the day. In addition to giving you time to leisurely read the newspaper or spend time with your family, the practice will help you shake the tic-like checking ritual.
5. Endeavor to leave the mobile email device in the car or at home when attending any function taking place at your child’s school, or when picking up your child from school.
6. Decide on an email-free block of time. Parents should first assess their child’s conversational patterns — some like to talk about their day immediately after school, others just before bedtime. Even if your child doesn’t seem interested in talking, stick to your promise not to email during that time.
7. Set boundaries at work: Alert your colleagues that your mobile email device will be turned off during the predetermined time slot.
8. Actually turn off your device and stick it in a drawer during the time you’ve designated as email-free.
9. If you are in the middle of a work crisis, still try to respect some boundaries. Consider blocking out a few 15-minute periods to check email — and then turn the device off again. Honestly assess whether the situation at work is an actual crisis that can’t be solved without your oversight.
10. When emailing while socializing or spending time with your family, ask yourself if your priority at that moment is enjoying after-work activities or getting work done. If it is the former, power-down. If it’s the latter, return to the office.
11. Upon arriving home, practice a ritual that helps you mentally separate the work day from the after-work evening. Light a candle, put on music, pour a cocktail. Don’t check your email during this time.
12. If mobile email overuse creates tension between you and your significant other, consider creating jointly agreed-upon BlackBerry-free zones. For instance, unless your bedroom doubles as a home office, consider maintaining it as a sanctuary of your personal life.
I’ve fallen into the trap of number 12 previously. Not good! Follow the above rules, they work for email, cellphone use, crackberry use, and so many other things in life.
The first step is recognizing your problem. Hi my name is Anjali and I’m an addict. :>
This evening i spent some time trying to update the programs on my Sony Clie NX80 PDA to better assist me in the hospital. I was checking out some freeware and came across 
