My seven-year old daughter gets phone calls from boys. Uh oh. And I guess I thought this would happen so far down the line that I hadn’t really considered how to react to it. Luckily I’m not alone, and my more down-to-earth wife is my partner in figuring these things out, even though she too hadn’t thought about it prior to it actually happening. I think we were so concerned about her actually making friends that we didn’t realize what would happen when she did. And she has, the best of which just happens to be a boy.
First off, this kid is just as talkative as she is, which is quite a feat indeed, something I never thought existed in nature. When he calls here, they could go on for hours; and that brings me to the first rule we had to enact. When it was a school night we would only give them 20 minutes to talk, or however they wanted to spend the time. I say this last part because they will often make strange noises on the phone to each other. I have no idea if these noises have more meaning than simply noises, if they’re speaking Japanese to each other, or if something else is going on. But I have accepted it as a part of the conversation, and as such, part of the 20 minutes.
Next on the list of issues to deal with is the use of the speaker function on the phone. I know, I should be happy they’re using it because I can hear both sides of the conversation, but it’s a problem because I CAN HEAR BOTH SIDES OF THE CONVERSATION. There is honestly only so long I can listen to the noises the both of them make before I start to go stir crazy. If I could only hear Lexi’s side of the conversation maybe it wouldn’t affect me as much. Also, when I want to listen to my music and Lexi’s in the same room with the phone on speaker I can’t hear what I’m listening to. I know, right?
But that brings me to the next thing. The act of going to her bedroom and closing the door for “privacy.” A seven-year old needing privacy so she can talk on the phone? Really? I barely knew what a phone was when I was seven, much less needed privacy because some girl was calling me. The funniest thing about it, though, is that they both still keep the phone on speaker so I can hear them through the bedroom door. Nice privacy that turns out to be.
The coolest thing, though, is that he plays music for her to see what she likes. And she’ll critique it after listening to it like a little music reviewer. I love that. It’s so funny to listen to the song with her (because the phone is on speaker), and then see her little face scrunch up in thought process. Then she delivers the verdict like a pro, and he listens intently, ready to play the next song when she’s finished.
Of course this back and forth isn’t bound to last, but it’s definitely teaching her good phone etiquette, and it’s helping us as parents learn to set boundaries. A win-win. Now, if only people would call me.
Sam
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