Tuesday Talk....The Struggle is Real

Hi friends!  Welcome to another edition of Show & Tell Tuesday. I am linking up with Andrea over at Momfessionals for today's topic... The Struggle is Real! 

We are to share a struggle we have been through or maybe the daily struggles we face. So I am going to talk about a struggle I think about often and will probably continue struggling with as my kids get older. Technology....smart phones...and when is the right time for kids to have these... ugh.

So this is probably a hot topic, one that most parents may struggle with and everyone has an opinion on. I am just here voicing my struggle with the issue. And to keep it light... this made me laugh!

I will start off by saying my kids are not hugely addicted to screens and for that I am thankful. But it is in part to their limited resources. Ella is 9 and in 4th grade, Luke is 8 and in second grade. We do not have an iPad in the house......I know.....shocking.

We also do not have any gaming systems. They have never really asked for one and Paul is not really into video games, so we have just not had to deal with that one yet. 

Paul and I each have and iPhone that we use primarily for work related things. I am just not a fan of giving it to the kids to keep them busy. I am more of a pick up a book, color, make a craft or play outside kind of mom.

So that brings me to my struggle. Ella has been asking. Not a lot, but every now and then. I know there are classmates that may have phones, but I just don't see the reason at this point. 

I just feel like with it comes a whole lot of responsibility out there. Between texting and photos and social media I think it's just too much for a 10 year old. 

So the struggle is going to grow over the next year and even more as she enters middle school. For me the struggle is two fold. On the one hand, knowing when is it  an appropriate time to have a phone, and on the other balancing it between when it's right for us and her not being the only kid without one. And let me clarify that second point. I'm not all like everyone else has one so she should get one. It's more of the not wanting her to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed at school if she truly is the only phoneless student in her grade.  Ugh... the struggle is real!

So I guess there's no "right answer"......I am hoping at some point it will feel less of a struggle and feel more like the right time. I am sure it is different for each child and it's hard to put and age on it. Ella may be ready for a phone at 13 and maybe Luke at 11. Who knows!?!  And then we will move on to the struggles of our phone rules and all the monitoring that goes along with it!

Feel free to share your struggles on this in the comments.....I always find it interesting to read different thoughts on  parenting stuff. Speaking of which, be sure to stop back tomorrow for Workin' It Wednesday....tips for keeping the kids busy during Summer break!

See you soon.....there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve