My kids and notes: 9.6
September 18, 2024
Life with JB
Our friends with kids between ages 7-11 who go to a different school were telling us their sixth grader was the last one in the class to get a cell phone. That even kids as young as second graders already have Apple Watches and phone and all the devices. So even though they didn’t plan to do soon, they gave their 6th grader a cell phone and it’s already caused a lot of problems.
Also, maybe related maybe not, or maybe it’s just a compounded thing, they’re now really struggling with the kid’s attitude problem. It feels like that switch to mega-attitude happened overnight, they said. I’m not so sure about that. We last spent time with them two years ago and the kid was pretty flipping disrespectful then. Here’s hoping it’s just a phase but I honestly do wonder how unhealthy it is for kids as young as second grade to have cell phones. I suspect there were kids in JB’s class who either had a phone or access to one earlier, one of them was pestering them last year about sharing their number for messaging. JB’s allowed to use my phone to text people we already know but I think it’s way too early to let them use messaging things unsupervised. Of course I’m not quite sure when is the right time. Only pagers were around when I was a teen, cell phones weren’t common until college. Developmentally THAT felt like probably the less damaging timing but that’s not realistic for this generation.
They definitely want a phone but we still have to have a few more talks about conduct and safety and so on. Heck, before we put a phone in their hands, we need to have the puberty talks.
Life with Smol Acrobat
More chores: I’d taught Smol Acrobat to hang up their clothes in May, once, and then we never got back around to it. But when we did, they remembered how! I was so proud.
They’ve been helping put away clean laundry more often. JB obviously also loves this development. Smol Acrobat is on duty for: toilet paper refilling, hanging up their own clothes, putting away the utensils, and running deliveries from room to room. They also help with the actual laundry if they’re around but I do it during the week when I’m alone most of the time. That’s not too shabby for a three year old. I’ll have to think of what’s next for JB to do as Smol Acrobat starts to take over their responsibilities. Putting the bins out and taking them back in might have to go on the official roster.
Joint birthday parties have become a thing this year for the pre-preschool set. Daycare parents are combining their birthday parties not just for siblings but for classmates. I don’t think I get along with anyone enough to want to co-plan a birthday party.
Every night, PiC asks JB about their day. Smol Acrobat usually goofs off or talks to me during this ritual. Suddenly this month, they wanted in on this. “I want to talk about my day!” And then they reel off several disjointed phrases that may or may not eventually make sense. At first none of them did but now they’re getting better with practice. They’re a bit of a late bloomer verbally so this is rather charming.
Pupdate
I should remove this section but I can’t quite bring myself to yet. Realistically we’re at least a year away from being ready to add the heavy lifting of adding a rescue pup to the family. But in my dog deprivation, I started browsing rescue listings and that helped for a minute, but only a minute. Then it turned into sadness again. Sadness for the dogs and sadness that I know I’m not ready yet.
But borrowing our neighbors’ dogs has been a decent treat. I appreciate them trusting me with their pups for short playdates.
Precious Moments
I gave Smol a small art kit for a longer car ride. Just some scratch paper and a little Ziploc of mismatched crayons. “Whoa! Dat’s impwessive!”
*****
Crossing the bridge, JB called their attention to the water around us: Das beeeoootifooo!
*****
JB: hey mom! I have a riddle. Well, not a riddle. It’s a question I know the answer to. What do mice use for swords? It’s not a joke.
*****
Smol Acrobat just said very aggressively: I making a cookie for YOU because you were WISTENING!
*****
JB dressed Smol Acrobat up in their old Batman costume and taught them to growl: I’m Batman!
Yeah, ok.
Then they instructed them to growl: I have nine limbs!
Wait what?
*****
JB, angrily: Homework is the WORST!
Smol Acrobat: No! I’M the worstest!
Anything to be part of things with JB, I guess.
*****
Smol Acrobat: I’m angwy!
Me: that’s so sad. You have chores.
SA: no, I have no hands!
Me: ok, then do them with your feet.
SA: …..
My oldest kid (now 15.5) got a phone with draconian parental controls (Family Link) midway through ninth grade and he STILL managed to find a way to chat with random strangers on the internet. He has a time limit and cannot download any apps. Plus I can turn his phone off and get location and report from my phone. He did need it due to late soccer games and unpredictable pickups.
Kid 2 (almost 13) has an ancient iPhone which he uses solely to listen to music. It will no longer download any apps because it’s on iOS 10 and it is not a phone in any real sense of the word. I turned off the web browser.
Kid 3 (10 in a few months) leaves me a note on a piece of scrap paper with where she’s going, and is required to come home at 5 unless I have agreed otherwise.
They all have chromebooks for school and that’s more than enough screens!
Jenny F Scientist recently posted…Five Minute Blogging: Mortality and Sense