The Mom iPhone contract

Greg is a kid who just got an iPhone from his parents. His mom, Janell, wrote these [slightly edited] rules for its use:

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you.

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.

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.

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.

8-9. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.

10. No porn.

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.

i like this. a lot.

That mom rocks.

Quoting Blaine Edwards:" i like this. a lot."

Imagine if every parent started teaching their children about proper cell phone etiquette.

Quoting Devil's Advocate:" Imagine if every parent started teaching their children about proper cell phone etiquette."

such a nice thought!

Quoting Blaine Edwards:" such a nice thought!"

I think I will be stealing this idea when the time comes  

Quoting Devil's Advocate:" I think I will be stealing this idea when the time comes  "

you and me both.
hell, i might steal it now for a few parents of tweens and teens that i know.

I approve!!!

DH and I had already decided our kids' cells would be charged in our room overnight because I didn't want them to have the phone in their room at night. This just gave us even more ideas!

I always swore my kids would not have a cell phone until they had a job and could pay for it on their own because that's what my mom did. If I didn't pay my bill, I didn't have it. But times are changing. I enjoy seeing that you can teach kids responsibility even if they aren't working. I want DD to work on school first.

That's awesome!

Quoting Devil's Advocate:" I always swore my kids would not have a cell phone until they had a job and could pay for it on their ... [snip!] ... I enjoy seeing that you can teach kids responsibility even if they aren't working. I want DD to work on school first. "

me too.
well...i didn't have a cell phone. but i had to pay for my beeper in high school.

and i totally just showed my age. lol

Quoting Blaine Edwards:" me too. well...i didn't have a cell phone. but i had to pay for my beeper in high school. and i totally just showed my age. lol"

OMG  

I never had one but my mom did for work.

Quoting Devil's Advocate:" OMG   I never had one but my mom did for work."

i iz old. lmao.

Quoting Blaine Edwards:" i iz old. lmao. "

 
I remember my mom gave me her old cell phone to play with.


.