The
rites of passage. Your first lemonade stand. When you lose your bike’s training
wheels. A first kiss. Getting a driver’s license.
For several generations, these were some of the markers you looked forward to obtaining and never forget. Now we can add obtaining your first smart phone.
For several generations, these were some of the markers you looked forward to obtaining and never forget. Now we can add obtaining your first smart phone.
My
daughter, 11 and a half years old, sprayed her innocent smile across her face as
she put a new iphone in her hands,
knowing it was hers to keep. Her eyes
lit up as if she found out dreams can come true. Her body shook in excitement, her small frame
seemingly incapable of containing all of the energy looking to burst out of
her.
She
gained a phone, and I began the process of losing a daughter to memes, apps,
texts, and dog videos. But it’s the way
of the world now. Food, clothes,
shelter. Clean water and air. Love. Cellphone.
What else does one really need?
On
8.8.19, my daughter’s life has changed.
She got a new ipohone7. Sure, it's an older
model but still ahead of the 6 that I still carry around.
I’m
happy because she’s happy. There are
times having communication with her from afar is convenient, even
necessary. She will start middle school
next month and this seemed like the right time for her to get a phone. She would say the right time is now also –
and maybe six months sooner would’ve been great, too, or so she tells me.
The
smart phone is between being a toy and a necessity. It’s a convenient diversion from what’s
unfolding in the very space that you occupy, but in one way it keeps
people connected. It’s become a poor substitute to verbal dialogue and
in-person bonding. But curse or cure,
the smart phone is a staple of modern-day life.
I
was late to the cell phone craze.
Talking really late. I think I bought my first one about 20 years
ago. Then I was late to the smart phone
craze. Then I was late to the Apple
phone trend. But that’s okay. Society is my beta and once something seems
necessary, I’ll buy in.
Some
people still have not crossed into the marvels and burdens of having a smart
phone. My mom and father-in-law, both in
their 70’s, have crude flip phones with no data plans. It’s purely a
phone. They haven’t experienced having a
hand-held computer on call, 24-7.
Up
until now, my daughter read books, watched television, had play dates, and
participated in after-school activities.
While I don’t really expect that to change, I do wonder, even fear, how
much time her phone pre-occupation will take away from each activity. How will even her experience of day-to-day
life change, knowing she can get lost online at any moment an in-person
conversation wanes or a TV show lulls? She has begun to hear the "ping" and feels obligated to
react to someone else sharing content that may be of little substance.
I
feel like she just grew up. Even though
she has a laptop and has had an ipod and access to other technology, she never
had it all in her pocket, day and night, wherever she went.
Now the doors of the world are open to her, including haters, freaks, and dangerous people who lurk behind some of them.
She’s now suddenly flying but will need to plot her own course. There’s no GPS for where her phone could take her.
Now the doors of the world are open to her, including haters, freaks, and dangerous people who lurk behind some of them.
She’s now suddenly flying but will need to plot her own course. There’s no GPS for where her phone could take her.
As a
parent, you want to see your child thrive be happy, stay curious, remain
challenged, and to be fueled by her dreams.
One could be all of these things without a smart phone. But as time goes on, society seemingly
requires and expects everyone to be wired into the same universe.
Well,
she has her passport in hand. Let’s see
where she decides to
go.
“I
tend to believe all writers are cartographers and we are mapping human
experiences.”
--Roxane Gay
“I
think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of
blank paper.”
--Steve Martin
“A
bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
--Maya Angelou
“To
live a creative life we must first lose the fear of being wrong.”
--Joseph Chilton Pearce
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views,
provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are
his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should --
follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He
feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is
copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now
resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book marketing blogs
by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and
recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also
named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a
panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
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