When we were growing up, cell phones weren't even thought of and if you needed to call someone on the go, than you best hope there was a pay phone near by. Collect calls were also a thing, and our house phones were attached to the wall with a cord. Remember those?
Well when my Mom didn't want to talk to my Dad anymore, she got me my own phone line which I eventually had to pay for. It was a separate phone line and different number that came directly in to my bedroom. Which was pretty rare back then but the coolest thing ever, because I could talk to anyone, any time, and not worry about my Mom being on the other line.
As for mobile devices? I can't even believe that my friend and I would drive from Michigan to Florida at the age of 16-17 with no means of communication except a walkie talkie or CB radio. My dad would give us his to travel with in case there was an emergency, we could flag a trucker down or the police. Now, we can't even go to the grocery store with out being connected to some type of mobile device.
My oh My have times changed!
But with all of the nonsense, distractions, and kids getting in to trouble with their phones via social media, I had a pretty steadfast rule that the VegTeen wouldn't get one until he was old enough to drive. I mean heck, he doesn't call anyone anyways and we actually still have a house phone. He definitely doesn't need another video game console. So what is the point of him even having a phone, right?
Wrong!!!
One day last spring, the husband dropped the teen off at a birthday party in a dark field in the boonies while I was out of town. Without further details, let's just say things could have gone really bad and the child had no access to a phone. One wrong turn in the woods, and we would have been sending out a search party. Thankfully everything worked out well, after my slight panic attack and 20 phone calls to other parents later while I sat fuming in my hotel room. That was the night, I said: "This kid needs a phone"...... It isn't like they can walk to the nearest pay phone and make a collect call if they get in a pickle now-a-days.
So as soon as time was available, I transferred my old number to an old iPhone, locked down most of the features and handed it over. He was so excited, you would have thought it was Christmas. BUT he never used it. Every once in a while, he would text me from his bedroom just to be funny, or to ask for groceries while I was at the store, but that was it.
THEN, he went on a school trip for five days. Turns out the teacher required they had phones so she could communicate with them when they were wandering around. (I didn't know this until he got home) The chaperones used the kid's phones for alerts, notifications, and when ever they got separated. My guy also texted me every day, and the teacher expected them to call their parents on the ride back home. But what would have happened, had he not had a phone.
Turns out for that situation alone, it was worth it to transfer the number! And since then he's had to call from school, friend's houses, and now another trip coming up where he will need to stay in contact. Needless to say, I held out for 13yrs but my steadfast rule was overriden by practicality and the realization that times have changed. For the record, I still don't think younger kids need phones, so that will be my new steadfast rule. Of course it doesn't matter because we don't have any younger kids. Ha!
But if you are a parent and still holding out on the phone frontier, I totally get it! And if you cave in the teen years, I get that too!
Now if you still have a corded phone with a dial on it attached to your wall, we may need to chat! Haha!