Phone Dependent

A Funny thing happened the other day. My husband broke his phone and my daughter lost mine! Thank goodness I had a home phone that I could use – not that I was home much. But that experience really showed me how much we rely on the cell phones. In fact it is even worse since we upgraded to smartphones. I need my calendar at my fingertips. My app to find the cheapest gasoline. I need to be able to email something last minute if I think of something. All my contacts are synced up so I am never without a number to call or email or facebook. Even my grocery lists are readily available and synched with Jeremy’s phone. When my son was at school they had no way of reaching me if I wasn’t at home.

All of these time saving and money saving items on our phones really help us out. But because of our reliance on them it was really difficult to come to terms with the realization that it was gone. Now, I only had three days without a phone. But the experience really made me think about the reliance we have on them – like a drug.

On the other hand, it was refreshing to not have my phone ring while I was driving or out-and-about. I know that my kids will grow up in a communication world. Nothing is a secret. They don’t understand a pay-phone or a calling card. I wonder if I will be able to have a no phone, no tv day… I would like to do this once a week when my kids are a little older since it would be a good learning experience for all involved. Just like having a family game night, I want to keep this in the back of my mind for future use.