It used to be that when you went to a restaurant and there were kids in your group, that a coloring sheet and a few different crayons was enough. You will begin to notice however, that at several chain restaurants like Red Robin or Applebee's, they have begun placing tabletop tablets called Ziosks at every single table. As if all of the TVs and music aren't already enough commotion to keep you distracted from a traditional dinner, these tablets allow you to not only pay for your meal and order drinks and desserts, but they also offer different types of entertainment and games for kids to play while they wait for their food. So that instead of a parent actually having to deal with their child when they complain of boredom, all they have to do is push these devices in front of them and go back to whatever is that they found to be more important.

I don't know about you, but I like to be able and look the person that I'm talking to in the eyes. It's very frustrating when as you speak to someone, they're looking in every other direction but yours. This is why the other day when I was out eating with my family, I made it a point to take one of these tablets from my little brother and place it beneath our table.

Having "no electronics at the table" is now an ancient rule that is seldom heard of because a majority of adults use the time that should be spent visiting with family and friends, as a time to update their Facebook status or to post pictures on Instagram of just how fantastic their day was and of how blessed they are. They are now just as guilty as the kids.

Nobody knows how to have a conversation these days because we are all too busy buying into the media and how much better it promises to make our lives. We need to start realizing that not everything we see on our phones or computers is true though, and that not every technological advancement being seen is necessarily "better" for our lives. People can post whatever they want on social media, and most of the time we only see that of which they choose to share—all of the good stuff like: getting a puppy, buying a beautiful house, or saying yes to a marriage proposal. To us, these people seem incredibly happy and it is only natural to feel like our lives must be pretty mundane. What often goes left unseen though, is the reality. Most people don't just share with anyone all of the fights they had to have with their parents to get that puppy, or how much debt they are now in after buying a brand new house... how that deep down, they are wondering if they made the right choice in getting married so soon.

So I understand being able to order things from your table in a restaurant to speed up service and cut down on labor costs, but enough with all of the things that are only there to distract us from our reality. Similar to ordering groceries from home on Amazon, or to using an app to request your drink from Starbucks, all these tablets are doing is promoting the idea of laziness and even more threatening, no human interaction.