cell phones

When did this become such a critical part of my life!??!

I know I am aging myself, but I remember being a senior in high school and desperately NEEDING a car phone, so I got one. Mind you, nobody else had one, so my calls were minimal therefore making my phone bill fairly minimal as well.

Even 5 or 6 years ago, there was simply still just a cell phone, no data, texting or apps to be concerned with. My monthly bill was closing in on $100 for myself and my husband, and this was outrageous... so it was something being monitored and action taken.

Now, I am part of a plan with 3 other people, and have 6 lines attached. We each have a phone line, we have our home line and then we have a tablet attached. This bill is RIDICULOUS.

I am trying to squash the overspending, but in looking at the plans available, it looks like we are not able to save at all based on what we all use it for.

There lies the problem... when did my phone become such a NEED for me?? How would I be without my phone?

I have made an honest effort over the past couple of months to try and leave my phone at the door. I had started to notice that my children were also depending on my phone for games and that it was becoming too important to us all, also driving a wedge into the time we were together as a family, so I literally, leave my phone at the door, on the counter-close enough to hear if a call comes in-of which I may choose to not answer, but far enough so that none of us feel the need to grab it and play a game or start texting.

Welcome to 2013 when the art of conversation is out the window. The majority of use have lazily hidden behind the art of texting. This not only allows you to be more bold and hide behind your cell phone, but it also allows your grammar to be tossed in the trash. This leads me to one of my greatest fears for my children.. they will be dumb, but it will be ok, because their society and their generation will be dumb with them. The term dumb is being used very loosely because it is left to interpretation for sure.

Yes they will be lacking the knowledge of grammar, punctuation, speaking skills, a level of confidence in themselves. But they will be SO SMART in how to copy, paste, browse, search, create, game; their mind will be able to do things that I cannot even fathom.

I have to trust that moving forward, as they grow up and enter the real world that this will be ok. This will be the norm, and those people looking to hire them or accept them into some sort of university program will also realize that they are the norm, and it will be ok..

I would still like for my children to be able to carry on a conversation face to face, to have to deal with someone making fun of them to their face and having to in turn respond to that to the little brats face, and to also deal with heart ache and the anxious idea of asking a girl (or boy) out on a date when the time comes and having to deal with the excitement to follow or the rejection whatever it may be. I want them to grow up to be confident little men and not only whiz through the internet and whatever technology may be presented to us as they grow up, but also to remember what its like to draw on a piece of paper, write a note, or letter, use a stamp, have a conversation..

Hmm... all this because I wanted to save money on my cell phone bill... hahaha...

End of story.. Im done ranting.