Phone Home

Ahhh, the ring of a phone. Can anything be quite so exhilarating one moment and so irritating the next?

Alyssa wants a phone. We say no. She suggested we get her one and not even activate it, just wait until she’s old enough and then she can use it. Right. We explained the lifespan of the cell phone. By the time we think she’s old enough to actually have and use a phone of her own, one we’d bought now would be sadly outdated.

No phone.

Okay, we aren’t completely heartless. I’ve explained my reasoning behind why I don’t think my nine year old needs a phone. She’s never anywhere with anyone other than me, my mom, my stepdad or Tom. She is never anywhere she’d need to use a phone and not have a trusted adult nearby with their phone handy for her to use.

And!!! She doesn’t even like to talk on the phone! I know, right? So why does she even want a phone?

Because one of her friends in her class has one, that’s why.

I gave her a couple of reasons I would accept for getting a fourth grader a phone. For example, my stepsister and her husband are divorced. The stepsister, let’s call her M, has two daughters. Their father is her ex-husband. I could completely understand if she or her ex were to get their older daughter, also nine, a phone of her own to use in case something happened to while they were at one parent’s or the other’s house and she needed to get in touch with the parent who wasn’t present.

Poor Alyssa, her parents are still together. Wahhh.

To be fair, she’s taking if pretty well. She’s good natured when we tell her know even as she sits and plots plans c, d, e and f.

Oh yes, the other reason she wants a phone? She thinks she’ll get one of those fancy phones that has the ability to play games. My phone has no games. I refuse to let her download any.

Why yes, I am the meanest mom this side of the Indiana state line. Why do you ask?

I just do not think MY nine year old needs a phone. And that’s what I’ll keep telling her as she comes to me with all the reasons SHE thinks she does need on. Ha, good luck chickadee.

I will say that on this, Tom and I are on the same page. Heck, we’re on the same word on the page. We’re thinking 14. But this isn’t set in stone. We can revisit as needed. It’s what we do.