Category: The King

I know it’s hard to believe, but yes it is true and I’m going to tell you my top 5 reason why I stick to my guns of not allowing my son to have a cellphone, and when I will consider giving him one.

1. Cyber-Bullying- With suicides being at an all-time high due to the various forms of bullying, primarily viral cyber-bullying, I chose to eliminate those within my power. I understand I can not protect my son from everything, but the things I can, I will.  Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram in no way benefit, my 13 year-old.  I feel he sees his friends on a daily basis and has no need to keep up via such sites.

2. Tracking Method- I feel like this, my son at this age, should not be anywhere where there is not a responsible adult that I am not able to call to get in touch with my son.  What this does is ensure me that he is where he is suppose to be and there is an adult around supervising him.

3. Not Responsible- By no means necessary is my child responsible enough to have a phone.  He is the type of child who would lose his head if it was not attached to him.  That leaves me with having to shell out money to replace a phone who knows how many times dealing with him, and despite phone insurance (which only gives you 2 claims per year), that bill can add up.

4. Distraction- I shadowed my son in school for a day, and it was unbelievable how much of a distraction and trouble maker having a phone was for children in EVERY CLASS.  Children were being thrown out of class, reprimanded, disrupting class etc.  With my son having ADHD (primarily attention), this is just a pure SET-UP!

5.  No Need- To sum it all up, and call me “old-fashioned”, but my children will not have cell-phones until they are driving or going on outings without adult supervision. In my house 15-16 years old is when those things will be allowed or until I feel said child can make responsible decision in the face of adversity and peer pressure.  Until then, my children will always be in the care of a responsible adult or home with me period.  With that being the case, why does he need a phone when I can just call the adult in charge to get ahold of him, or he can ask the adult to use their phone to get in touch with me. Just let me say, this system has been working without any glitches to date.

J.D, my first born, my heart, my love, my hardest child imaginable! Born at 33 weeks weighing 5lbs 1oz, on January 25, 2000.  My life was forever changed that day (yes all mothers say this, and it is true).  He was a premie, I was 16 going on 17, still in high school, and ready for the task of motherhood that life had presented to me.  At the time, his father and I were still together, but that did not last long.  By 9 months I believe he was married to some other chick.  Oh well, life goes on.  When I had my son, my life had new meaning, I realized really quick that I wanted the best for him, and myself and would do whatever it was I had to do to make that happen.  I graduated from high school with honors and realized very quickly that welfare was not a long-term option for my son and I.  By the age of 22 I was an RN supporting my son independently with no help from the government.  While I was doing these things for my son, as I later in life realized, I was not there for him to give him the foundation he needed to be a strong confident young man in the future.  Thus  my current constant struggles with him.  Looking back at pictures and video of my son, he was always so angry, mean, and oppositional, and hard on himself.  We have been through hell and back, and I will take you on that journey, but 13 and a half years later, I finally see some light at the end of this tunnel.