Thursday, January 03, 2013
iPhone rules and conditions from an awesome mom!
Today I was perusing Facebook and came across a post that a friend shared. It was a news article about a mom who gave her teenage son an iPhone for Christmas, but the gift came with a hilarious (and INCREDIBLY SMART) list of rules and conditions for him to follow.
The list is FANTASTIC!!! I shared it on Facebook not just for my youth kids and their parents, but for the many people who truly are addicted to their technology. Sadly, I've been out to coffee with far too many people who would rather socialize with Facebook than me, the person sitting in front of them. Thankfully, I actually find this tech-rudeness WORSE among my own age group (and older... 30somethings texting while their kids beg for attention just kills me) than with the teenagers I know. Still, her 18-point list was a great reminder to parents and teens alike. As the mom says, "You wouldn't' give your kid a car without making sure they had insurance." How true!
You can read the entire story here, or just read her list below. Enjoy, and happy texting!
1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill. *Half days, field trips and after school activities will require special consideration.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs. Mow a lawn, babysit, stash some birthday money. It will happen, you should be prepared.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.
9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.
10. No porn. Search the web for information you would openly share with me. If you have a question about anything, ask a person ? preferably me or your father.
11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
12. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this despite your high intelligence. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear -- including a bad reputation.
13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO -- fear of missing out.
15. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
17. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without googling.
18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
It is my hope that you can agree to these terms. Most of the lessons listed here do not just apply to the iPhone, but to life. You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Keep it simple every chance you get. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone.
Merry Christmas!
xoxoxo
Mom
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This is truly awesome! Although I am not a mother myself, I totally agree with everything that has been said here. I own an iPhone myself and I can say that I have done almost everything on the list that it says not to do. My iPhone is extremely good at sucking away time from me every day. With regards to rule number 2 about knowing your password, I totally agree. As a parent, it is extremely hard to always be monitoring what your kid is doing on their phone every moment of every day. Knowing the password is not only helpful with regards to an emergency situation, but it encourages the kid to do the right things with their phone. The kid who has the phone will always be tempted to do bad things with it (I know from experience). Fortunately, with the thought of a parent looking on their phone later in the day and seeing what they have done, the kid will be encouraged to make the right decision in that situation. My parents set this rule with me when I got my phone, and I am very thankful that they did. I agree with every single rule here and I encourage all parents to put it to use either now or sometime in the near future.
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