8th grade promotion & why Jacob is bummed

Look at that sad pouty face. Very unusual to see that face on Jacob when we are out to eat at one of his favorite restaurants. (I can't believe that my kids even have favorite restaurants, so spoiled). Anyway, what( you may ask) does Jacob have to be sad about? I'll tell you what. He is the only eighth grade kid that didn't get a cell phone for promotion (if they didn't already have one of course). Isn't that crazy? I don't even know where to begin on the whole cell phone subject. It is just one more way in which kids can tune out what is going on around them and really living. Why give them one more thing that is a temptation, and that they have to use good judgement to control. I totally understand Jacob's feelings. It can be hard to be the only one at anything, but I hope he gets our reasoning deep down. I do think there are good reasons for some kids to have a cell phone at his age. Unfortunately, none apply to him. He doesn't like to talk on the phone, he is always with me, or I know exactly where he is. He doesn't drive or work. He lives with both of his parents. So there just aren't any reasons to justify the down side of having a phone. For example, it costs money. It can be a temptation to text at inappropriate (my family says inappropriate is my favorite word) times. For example during school and church. Bad things can be sent to his phone. My friend was telling me how a girl sent a picture of herself without clothing on to a couple of boys. As you can imagine, that was sent to everyone in the school really quick. I could go on and on. I just feel that our kids are already up against so much, why add to it. Yes, they need to be strong and be able to make good choices, and we do teach him what is right. But that doesn't mean that we give him easy access to pornography, alcohol, drugs etc. and say that he needs to be able to make good choices. We are human, and so many adults can't even have self restraint. Teenagers already have a life full of more and more responsibility that they are having to deal with. Growing up is hard. Learning who you are, and making decisions for their future, struggling with self confidence, and self esteem. I am so rambling. But I am from the school of thought that you teach your kids to do what is right and enforce it. They need all the help they can get. Kids need and want boundaries. It makes them feel safe. That is why it is harder as they get older. They need to take on more and more personal responsibility for making those boundaries and choices on their own, and that can be really tough. I wish sometimes that someone was making me go to bed on time every night so I will be well rested. Or making me eat healthy and exercise. It is hard to have discipline. If we can't do it, how can we expect our children to have the discipline to make all the right decisions. Crazy if you ask me. That is like putting a cookie jar in front of a two year old and telling him not to take any cookies, and than being surprised when they do. Or thinking they are naughty if they do. So that is why Jacob doesn't have a cell phone, or at least I am not providing one for him. If he wants to earn the money and pay for it that is fine with me. That means he feels he really needs it. But of course he doesn't want to do that. So he really is a teenager. But don't worry, his sadness only lasted until the pizza came out.