I think your post is equally bizarre. Either the world is always as crazy as it's been and we didn't know or the world is crazier now. I think it's crazier but maybe we just didn't know. Right or wrong there is a security and convenience with my kids having phones or something to contact me. We don't have one yet but are headed in that direction. And I don't feel bad or crazy about it.

You are WAY off base with that. Has absolutely nothing to do with status, and more to do with convience and safety issues. Your parents grew up without wearing seatbelts in the car, but is that a reason that your kids shouldn't wear them? It is just another tool to be able to check up and check in with them.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

We aren't quite there yet. One has a phone and that's the parent/family that I would...not follow the lead? One is a year older and everybody has one. One has a gizmogadget and has been helpful a few times. One has a phone because of stupid dance. My oldest is going places and starting to be left unsupervised when I'm not home. The one whose parent is like you will never have a phone and he borrows the hell out of everybody else's.

And I'd think you'd know I don't really have a problem not conforming. I'm fine being myself and my kids sometimes are okay wiht that or have to learn to be okay with that.

anyone understand what this is... not julie related but twitter related, and since twitter is her life it can go in her thread

https://twitter.com/MattJen670

For any future reference, you don't give off this vibe. You're totally a conformist. It's why you despise poor people.

But I tend to agree with you in this topic. People who are saying kids don't need smart phones are sort of dangerously out of touch with the world we live in today. It's really fucking dumb to deny your kids a line of direct communication based on some dumb fucking tradition you might believe in.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Umm, I have no idea, besides an off-the-wall parody account that makes jokes nobody gets.

However, Matt Abbatacola's twitter account is now "protected". Did this happen recently?

https://twitter.com/mattabbatacola

If so...hmmm.

I don't really care what you think. Sometimes you have to go along to get along but I march to my own little drummer at times. You may not see it, but down the road it makes a difference. I do what I have to do to get where I want to be and it's dishonest to say that most people don't. I don't know why you think I despise poor people but okay. I don't think economic status matters, there are shitty rich people and there are great rich people there are shitty poor people and there are great poor people. I'm not rich and I'm not poor. Nobody gives a shit about me, I have no power, and I make no difference almost anywhere. I live my own little life.

Not trolling here, everyone has their own opinions. But we all know each other to a small degree by virtue of us posting here for almost a decade. I'm not trying to be a dick here, but you saying you're not a conformist is similar to me saying I'm anti-pot. It's gonna raise eyebrows.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

So a resident pot-head thinks I'm a conformist? I'm cool with that. I do some of what I want and do some of what I have to and most of what I should be doing. I'll live with whatever you think about me.

Ladies and Gents, let us stay on point!


Julie Dicaro=Dumb Fuck

But when is the modern kid ever not supervised? I think there is a lot of status involved with a kid having a phone. There really aren't "free range" kids these days. Parents have gotten arrested for allowing an eight year old to walk to the park alone.

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General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!

We certainly have become quite a paradoxical society.

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Elections have consequences.

I don't know what that's all about but it's way worse than anything Julie ever faced on Twitter.

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General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!

It's public now, and it's kind of weird:

Matt &Jen Abbatacola
@MattJen670

LOVE HAVING AFFAIRS - This is a parody account, it's not affiliated with the cheating couple.

Maybe his wife created it.

_________________
General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!

I am sure we can call into B&B and talk about it right? After all people's private lives are open for them to discuss in all ways.

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Elections have consequences.

I will go out on a limb, and say Drinky cheated.

I used to call my parents for rides pretty frequently around ages 9-12. As Spaulding mentioned, practices get canceled, end early or go long. On the flip side, if I wanted to go somewhere with friends after practice Id call them and tell them to pick me up later. I used payphones because they were everywhere.

Now there are no payphones.

My daughter doesnt have one because the two activities she's involved in (softball and gymnastics) happen to be situations where myself (I coach softball) or her mom (parents stay for gymnastics) are always there.

As soon as I get banned from coaching or she joins an activity where we are not around, she will have a very basic phone.

And her status, without a cellphone, is unquestionably impressive among her peers.

8 is a little young but whenever they are going places on their own it makes sense.

Just the fact that payphones existed meant that no matter where you were, in a pinch, you could call mom or dad. Not the case anymore.

People said the same thing about gameboys when I was growing up.

I turned out amazing.

Technology is not the devil.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I think Drinky was nailing Julie.

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Not the point. A Gameboy is definitely about status rather than necessity. Kids aren't just looking for a phone to check in. They want the latest and greatest. Darkside was saying it's more about consumerism than safety and that's right.

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General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!

Why are we only dealing with necessity now?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

What's an iPhone cost to run per year? $1000?

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

Kids want a lot of things. For the kids, it might be about status. The kids are not buying the phone. My daughter has wanted one for two years. She'll get one when its necessary.

Darkside specified that the parent was worrying about status. That may exist but to say everyone is like that is pretty silly.

My phone bill is 35 dollars a month. 300 minutes (Im a texter) and unlmited texting/data


So I guess about 500 dollars for the year with taxes and fees.

I probably spend more on coffee

Come on, though. I know you're not an "advertising doesn't work" guy. Corporations aren't above advertising to kids. So when you want to buy your daughter a bare bones phone so she can check in and she says, "But Dad, Teegan and Layla have the iPhone8", the pressure will be there. I can understand you succumbing to it. Of course, you don't want your daughter to be an outcast with a flip phone.

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General Jim wears Fort Bragg down... to get it!