From: stephen@sprunk.org

On 27-Apr-15 20:56, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> Stephen Sprunk wrote:
>> _I_ had a mobile phone in high school.  I couldn't afford to use it
>> much at first since my only job was mowing lawns, but it bought me
>> a lot more freedom than my older siblings had since my parents
>> could reach me at any time.  I didn't have to ask for permission to
>> go places, check in every couple hours to see if plans changed,
>> give them all my friends' home numbers in case of emergency, etc.
>> That's why so many parents bought phones for their kids as soon as
>> it became economical.
>
> We grew up before cell phones, but we also did not have to check in
> every few hours or provide contact numbers.  Our parents accepted a
> certain degree of autonomy as we grew older.

When we got older, we didn't need to ask permission, but we had to at
least leave a message saying where we were going (and, if somewhere new,
the phone number there) and when we'd return.  If we weren't back by the
promised time, they'd call to make sure we were okay--and tell us to
come home immediately because we were grounded.  Checking in usually
wasn't required, but it was a good way to keep them from figuring out we
weren't where we said we were.

Once I had a mobile phone, all that went away; if they wanted to know
where I was, they could just call me.  Many of those calls ended with
them asking me to pick up some groceries on the way home, so it was a
convenience for them too.  And I wasn't good at keeping track of time,
so it saved me a _lot_ of grounding for getting home late.

> They figured in case of emergency--which was very unlikely--we'd be
> able to find a payphone or use someone's phone.

Think of the other direction, though; if they needed to reach us due to
an emergency at home, they needed to know where we were.  That was rare,
but it did happen from time to time.

> Today I noticed parents constantly checking in on their kids, which
> seems strange to me.  Indeed, a few years ago some cell phone
> carriers offered parents a way to track their kids' whereabouts
> through GPS, a concept I found rather disturbing.

Indeed; "helicopter parents" really bug me.  Kids need to learn to be
self-sufficient, and that means giving them room to make their own
mistakes, preferably while you're able to help them recover and learn
from them.  If you shelter them from everything, when they go off on
their own, they'll end up making far bigger mistakes.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk         "God does not play dice."  --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723         "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS        dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

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