Cel phone... enabling or controlling?

[exhausted]

I did not read all the replies because I just have a minute before FA. We are not in your same situation. We have decided that we will give nothing extra. Only food and shelter. No clothes or makeup or anything. We did this because she refeses to follow our rules and we can't kick her out yet. She needed motivation to work and she wants to make her own decisions so she can see what it is like affording things. She has not chosen to get a phone yet. Mmmm

She used her phone for no good (granted she was 14 the last phone). She often did not answer us and even bad mouthed us when she did answer. I did not feel it was a safety thing in anyway. She has always managed to get to us when she needed something. When it was a safety issue she chose not to call us. I'm old fashioned, but I still think they are a pain and invasion of my peace at times. I also feel they are an excuse to not see people face to face or talk face to face. So my cell phone value meter is low. They cause more problems for my students than they help as well. It is a constant issue with kids and parents. I now have to deal with cyber bulling when it happens after school hours because the kids are here in my room I guess. I resent it!

Just my thoughts. I may feel comkletely different if I had a kid so far away and in your boys situation. You do what is best for you and husband and feel no guilt.

 

[DammitJanet]

You know whats funny about cell phones. Until 1998 I didnt even have a house phone. Seriously. Over the years we had one for a couple of months but then we simply couldnt afford it so we had them removed. Remember we were really poor. It just wasnt one of those things that was needed. I could always go to a store and use a payphone. Well in 1998 my job said I had to have one because they were making all of us "mandatory volunteers" for the Red Cross hurricane shelters so I had to get one installed. The boys were thrilled...lol. Well that was late 1998. Then in early 2003 we got one cell phone because Jamie was headed to boot camp for the Marines and we wanted to be able to be reached at anytime with him in there. About two years after we got the first phone we added a second line so Tony would have a phone with him while he was on the road working and I would have the cell phone with me. I only used the house phone as my dial up connection. Then Billy started with Radio Shack and he got his employee plan and he had his own phone. Of course Jamie had his phone with him.

So between 1998 and 2006 we went from 0 phones to 4 phones and today our family has 8 if you include Jamie, Billie, Cory, Mandy, Keyana, Tony, me, and Billy.