Remember when we didn't have constant communication? I do. I have not only lived it as a parent - that time before cell phones, texting and email, but I lived it growing up with my parents.
Today, if a parent left the house without a cell phone, it would be unthinkable. You would be a bad parent for not being reachable every second. But that hasn't always been the case.
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In 2005, I covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. Cell service there was sketchy at best. Text messaging was in its infancy (think flip phones and multiple letters per key). Getting email on our phones, why would we want that hassle?
I don't think the term "wifi" was even a thing yet. So, while I had some communication with my then six and three-year-olds during those three weeks, by today's standards, it was minimal.
As you read this, I will be in Uganda covering a medical mission trip with the Duke Global Health Institute. As I write this, I have no idea what my ability to connect with my family will be like from that part of the world. It will all depend on where I have wifi and whether or not it is a strong signal. But one thing I know for sure is that I will not be connected on a regular basis - every second like most of us are in our daily lives.
In preparation, I have made lists and calendars and lined up rides, carpools and everything else I can do to make my family's life run smoothly while I'm gone. But I will not be available for the daily crises - things forgotten at home that need to be brought to school, a last-minute ride, homework help, a request for food to be dropped off at dance, or an urgent need for a doctor's appointment (things stuck in the eye is our newest routine medical emergency for some reason).
Still, I'm pretty sure everyone will survive without me for eight days. My daughters are teenagers and very capable of taking care of their own basic needs. My husband has the calendar and knows the drill, and they will remind him if he forgets something.
I'm actually looking forward to the opportunity to immerse myself in something without the constant distraction of the phone vibrating every second to tell me I have a new message, email or voicemail.
Does this make me a bad parent? I don't think so. Hopefully, the experience I will have in Uganda will be transforming in ways that I can't even foresee at the moment.
And that, my friend, will make me a better human ...
Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.