My son’s best friend has one of those watches that lets him talk to a handful of people. It’s helpful, and I can imagine it would be useful when I want to find out if my son is on the bus or if he needs to ask me a question.
Yesterday, I was running about 10 minutes late to pick up my kids because of stopped traffic on Amnicola, and thought hmm, it might be useful if Joshua had a phone or watch. But instead, I texted one of his friend’s moms whom I know picks up where we do, and she sat with my kids until I got there. They would have been fine waiting in the parking lot, but it is good to know an adult is in charge!
It was a reminder to me that yes, we can still function without my 12-year-old having a phone.
Most of his friends, in fact, don’t have phones. They communicate through the parents or set up Zoom chats on email. For the most part, these sixth graders still seem to be caught up in being kids, and I revel in that fact. Especially after I just had a conversation with a friend about her sixth-grade daughter’s text conversations causing major issues.
I’ve written before about the fact that I think we gave our two older kids cell phones too young. My oldest, a girl who is now 16, jumped right into texting and group chats. My second, a son, was less attached to his phone until this year, as an eighth-grader. These weren’t even smart phones, just phones that could talk and text and send me their location. And yet, they started that “screenager” vibe early.
We all have our reasons for introducing our kids to technology — or not doing it. After listening to the Vanderbeekers books by Karina Yan Glaser lately, I’ve commented to my younger kids that I wish we didn’t even have a TV. It’s harder to get kids to go outside or even read a book when Minecraft is calling. (The kids in these books don’t have a TV, and spend their days exploring their neighborhood of Harlem together and doing wildly creative things!)
I feel like with the 12-year-old, I am seeing a trend away from getting phones so young. I hope that continues! My eight-year-old daughter already thrives on ALL THE DRAMA, and I can only imagine the group texts she might be involved in when she gets older. I’ll be putting off the phone as long as possible for her.
I was pretty surprised when Joshua, the 12-year-old, recently asked if he could get a watch.
“You mean like Max’s?” I asked. “One where you can call me if you need to?” I sighed inwardly, thinking the time had come where he was feeling left out.
“No,” he replied. “Just so I can tell the time.”
He just wanted a regular old wristwatch, friends.
“Buddy,” I told him, “absolutely.”
