I guess I can understand giving a kid a cell phone. There have been times at our house when I wish my 11 year old had a phone. Like when she goes snowboarding, walks the dog, or meets her friend on the corner. But I haven't figured out why texting would ever be a requirement for a kid.
Just the other day, we celebrated our 11 year old's birthday. All her friends were dropped off at our house by parents who, for some reason, felt that their children needed to bring along their cell phone. You should have seen it. Right when they walked in, each girl was making calls to other friends. We even had at least one inter-house phone call!
And the texting! They were texting each other at the dinner table and in the car as we drove to our destination. Somewhat awkward, to say the least, for those that did not have phones. And totally annoying.
Finally, my wife put an end to it and told them all that they were no longer allowed to use their phones. I mean, you go to someone's house for a birthday party and call other people?! You text someone standing right next to you?!
Help me understand.
Just last summer I was at the park with my kids. Some older kids - maybe 14 years old - were at the park too. There were probably 5 of them; mostly harmless. Not punks or anything. It just struck me that they were not talking to each other. They were all sitting underneath the playground structure texting. In fact, after watching them for a while, I am fairly confident, based on their body language and laughter, that they were texting each other!
Now, I have texted people sitting next to me in a work meeting in order to be polite. I have IM'd someone at work 4 feet away from me while I am on the phone with someone else. But, c'mon!
So, do we really think that kids having the ability to text has any value? I just see stunted relationships and inability to communicate. What are the benefits? Someone help me understand.
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