If I stop and really search my memory bank, I believe the first time I laid hands on a smart phone was probably circa 2008. My two oldest kids had them before me because they were on the cutting edge of technology and as a stay-at-home mom cutting edge for me meant dicing apple wedges to feed my little ones and our guinea pig at snack time. I honestly didn’t see what all the fuss was about—the little flip phone I had stored away in my then diaper bag served me just fine. Or……….so I thought.
Without boring you all with the history of the Smart Phone, I mean, what’s the point—anyone who owns one can Google it with the push of a thumb, but as a writer one would think that owning a Smart Phone would be a tremendous step forward, but oddly, in my opinion, it was simply no big deal.
I’ll be honest, I don’t think it had anything to do with being intimidated by all the functions this savvy phone could provide—GPS, surfing the web, shooting off an e-mail, researching articles, meal planning, redecorating a room, paying bills, and of course texting, it was more that I just didn’t want one more electronic device crowding my space. (And with 8 kids, space has always been at a premium!).
And truly, it wasn’t even all that. You know what it all boiled down to? Peer Pressure! Yes, you heard me right. As an early 40-something, I caved and got my first Smart Phone so I could keep up with the Jones’—and the Smith’s, and the Johnson’s, and the Miller’s, and the Anderson’s……..well, you get the point. But here’s the thing—after having one for nearly just a few weeks, I started realizing why I, knew in my soul that I was never going to make the grade in the world of Smart Phones.
- For starters, I can type over 100 words a minute, but texting—not so much. To this day, I text with my right thumb only—which means, I don’t communicate via text unless desperate.
- Syncing—thankfully I have teens and twenty-something’s that understand how to sync a cell phone with e-mail and the like. I guess the only sink I have a good relationship with is the one in my kitchen—washing dishes for a family of 10 all these years has earned me that.
- Staying in touch—I’m going to have to use the “8-kid” card again, sorry, but because I was (and still am) always running in different directions taking care of my gang, talking to friends and family on any phone, cell, smart or otherwise, was always a luxury. I have absolutely nothing against those who do it, it just never seemed to fit my lifestyle, so my smart phone was on mute most of the time.
- It’s Exhausting. Remember, these are my reasons for not being a savvy Smart Phone gal, but during the first few months I owned mine, I realized I was a lot more tired than usual. I’m a pretty energetic piece of work, so when I don’t have my usual “go go go” I’m either getting sick or feeling overwhelmed. Go ahead and snicker, but I find that owning a Smart Phone can be overwhelming at times. People have access to me 24/7 now, and although I like being able to connect with my kids when they are out and about, I also like to have my space and down time. I’ll leave it at that.
- I live in the moment. Seriously, I really do. So when I’m sitting at one of my kid’s gazillion baseball, soccer, basketball, football or dance recitals I watch the game, not my phone. This reason here may have just caused hundreds of eyes to roll across the state, but I’m just fine with that. I want to be able to say “Yes, I did see you make that play” and mean it.
- While I’m on the subject, I might as well take reason #5 one step further. Texting indicates quick responses, and it seems as though people do get upset when others don't text back quickly enough. I am one of “those” people who doesn’t return texts in a flash. I think Smart Phone users have a name for people like me, but this is a family column, so I’ll leave it be. Honestly, the reason for that is that I don’t have my phone out when I’m driving, at work (gasp), when I’m visiting with friends and family, or at the family dinner table or out to eat with someone. Sometimes I don’t see all my texts until the moon us out and I’m getting my PJs on and settling in for bed.
- Last, but not least I think it’s short of a crime the fees that go along with owning a Smart Phone. I have no idea why I paid $100 insurance per Smart Phone for my kids when we all upgraded last summer, because three of our six phones were dropped and cracked, had faulty charging capabilities or other little malfunctions and that $100 per phone still cost me more big bucks!
As we wrap up the school year and head into summer my mind is focused on our household completing essays, papers, projects and reports so we can concentrate on closing their grades and enjoying the laid back life of summer. I may not be in school at the moment, but I do feel the need to grade myself on Smart Phone living, and I humbly give myself a failing grade.