Dear LFTP: adults glued to cell phones at family gatherings

• Is it rude when adults use their cell phones instead of socializing at family gatherings?

A host reads a listener observation: at a recent family gathering the adults sat texting while the younger family cooked, waited on them, and cleaned up, and the writer calls phone-first behavior rude and devaluing. The hosts fully agree with the observation but wince at its scolding tone, arguing phones should be put down and attention given to the people present. The secular answer: tell people directly when you need help and that their behavior is rude, since they may be partly responsible for how their children turn out.