It stands to reason that kids can't be grateful for things they've always had.

Or, the trouble with telling kids to "count their blessings" is that, to kids, the only blessings that make SENSE to count are the ones that most of their classmates and neighbors don't have. Everything else - like a Smartphone, maybe - is a God-given right.

Everything else - like a Smartphone, maybe - is a God-given right.

The Lord giveth, the Lord can also taketh.

China forces birth control on Uighurs to suppress population

The state regularly subjects minority women to pregnancy checks, and forces intrauterine devices, sterilization and even abortion on hundreds of thousands, the interviews and data show. Even while the use of IUDs and sterilization has fallen nationwide, it is rising sharply in Xinjiang.

https://apnews.com/269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c

For Lenona— Why I can't fidget my way through her longer comment about how education ought to benefit children:

• Murray (very brief)

• Plomin (TV show for idiots)

And here's a better Plomin, without a smirking haircut across the table getting in the way.

Here's a short one with ooky music.

We should read the book.

Don't take crap from anyone.

The Lord giveth, the Lord can also taketh.
____________________________________

Not if the kid hides it.

After all, parents who are wimpy enough to PAY for the damn thing in the first place are likely just bluffing when they say "hand it over or else."

And kids know that.

The Lord giveth, the Lord can also taketh.
____________________________________

Not if the kid hides it.

After all, parents who are wimpy enough to PAY for the damn thing in the first place are likely just bluffing when they say "hand it over or else."

And kids know that.

Lenona at June 29, 2020 12:33 PM

You do know a smart phone is just a brick unless that same parent keeps paying for a plan for it, right? And that any number or various services can be suspended for as long as you want?

My children had phones for *my convenience* not theirs.

A US Postal worker was just caught on video throwing a stack of my campaign mailers in a dumpster. Some patriots nearby heard a noise when she tossed them in & went to investigate. They found a stack of them and called me. No wonder people are skeptical of mail in voting.

https://twitter.com/SheriffTNehls/status/1276646406682484736

I assume that you're talking about phones that didn't include Internet service, right?

Now that I think about it, I really should have said "iPhone." My apologies. (I was definitely thinking of "that which has only been available since 2007." Before then, Internet phone service was out of most customers' reach, according to one source.)

But, again, parents who are weak enough to pay for a luxury like that - one that could easily get broken or stolen - are likely too weak to mean it when they threaten to cut off payments or services. Especially if the kid is good at crying and acting like a torture victim.

If a preteen is so desperate for a phone with Internet access, the kid can earn it. Preferably outside the home. Suddenly, it might not seem so essential.