Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Information for Old Parents

Just so you know? If you have children who are tweens and older...you are considered old. I'm just saying.

There are many of us who have given our little darlings a cell phone. The cell phone has personally kept my oldest, Paige, off of nerve medication. The Man and I purchased the phone when she was ten because when she would go visit her biological father, he would refuse to let her call me or contact me. Then came the panic attacks. It had potential to get massively ugly, but all worked out in the end.

I have recently discovered "special" rings for phones. These rings are high pitched in nature and can not be heard by the average adult. I guess cranking up the radio as teenager and going to concerts did our poor ears in.

They use these rings in school and around parents to notify them of text messages and phone calls.

I know the ring sounds work in this fashion because we have played the sound behind my son without him being aware. He immediately covers his ears and screams to turn it off. This has been tested a few times with the same results.

The Man and I never heard the first sound. Nothing. Nada.

My beautiful daughter Paige has lost use of her cell phone for a while and it's in my possession. I have no problem going through and reading her text messages and looking at her call history. Is it invading her privacy? Uh...no. She is not grown, educated, got a J.O.B., and living in her own home. Therefore, as payer of the MINOR's bill, I have full authority to see what my child is doing.

I kept hearing a faint noise from her phone. It was the sound of a missed call. I recognized it as it sounds like the one on my own cell phone. I'd check and lo and behold, a text message or missed call. I had forgotten about that special ringer until, out of curiosity, I checked what ringer she was using. It's called "Mosquito" something or another. Ah ha. It is no longer set on that ringer. I got a nice generic ringer going on that Mama is sure to hear loud and clear. Far be it from me to miss one of her phone calls or text messages.

We need to keep our eye on this generation of teenagers. They are smart with technology......way smarter than we are. It worries me to no end what my son will be capable of when he reaches this age. How will I even begin to keep up with him?

As my facebook status says right this minute:

Miss Hope figures that if I can get my husband transitioned to civilian life, do another major move, keep my ADHD kid smooth, refrain from kicking my teenager's butt, and not start smoking again? Then I am going to throw myself the biggest party EVAH. I kid you not.

9 comments:

Mrs. Em said...

Oh, Paige, be kind to your Mama. She needs it!

My students have tried out these ringtones in my class. I hear them. As said by one student last semester, "You can't get away with crap in Mrs. A's class. She hears ALL!" That's when I give my wicked laugh.

Keep on going, girl. You can do this!

Roni said...

Oh my! I have 'heard' of those sounds from a friend of mine with one of those fancy phones! Pretty clever use of it...lol...I feel your pain! How to keep up can be quite a talent!

Denise said...

I have never heard of that! Great. Now I have an overwhelming urge to track down that ring tone and see if I can hear it. Kids are so darn good at this stuff!

Krys72599 said...

I had heard OF this ringtone, but had not HEARD this ringtone.
My darling daughter, however, is a 30-year-old teacher of 3rd graders and has personally witnessed this ringtone in action, as has my 32-year-old recently married niece.
I don't know that they've actually heard the ringtones, seeing as how they're getting up there in age (insert wicked stepmother/aunt laugh here!), but they say it should never have been invented...
From them, that's REALLY saying something...

I Am Boymom said...

My nine year old is more comfortable on the computer and dealing with technology than most of his entire family, immediate and extended. I am just a few steps ahead of him and it won't be long til he blows by me! I am the last bastion of safety between him and the teenage tech world! Lord, I hope I can keep up!

Anonymous said...

Darlin', if you can get through all of this, I will personally throw you the biggest party. I PROMISE!!

Stefany said...

.....can I come to your party?.......I need some kind of fancy soiree.

Stefany said...

Okay you totally had me researching this. Go to this website and check it out...sure enough , I can't hear most of them.
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

Busy Texas Dee said...

I do the same thing with Ashley and her phone. Luckly she hasn't set a ring tone that I can't hear. She has different ring tones for different things. And yes I will also answer her phone if I feel I need to. I will also send text messages back to her friends when they decide to contact her after 10pm. Granted she is 17 but she still needs to get her sleep and I don't like to be disturbed after 10pm. That is quiet time and if there is no emergency then don't call or texted. And I feel the same way you do I (we) are paying her bills so I have every right to know what she is doing. She actually has gotten pretty understanding about it. She didn't like it at first but now I think she is used to it and she just blows it off and has decided she doesn't want her phone taken away. So she lets mom do what she wants.