The great cell phone debate....

How old is old enough for your child to have a cell phone? I don't know the answer to this but I will tell you that my children have had them since they were about 8. My daughter who is only 10 now put her cell phone to great use tonight and I thank God she had one! It was one of those crazy evenings where my husband was at work late, my son at a boy scout meeting and I had to go to PTA. I left my daughter with the neighbors figuring my husband would be home before I was to get her. A small miss communication turned into a frantic call from my 10 year old saying that she came home to find the door locked and nobody home. I stayed on the phone with her as I darted out of the PTA meeting and drove well beyond the speed limit to get to her. She was standing at the front door in pitch darkness except for one small porch light. We hugged and cried and vowed to never let it happen again! The old fashioned way of preparedness is to hide a spare key. Well we do have one hidden, but in all that darkness she was too afraid to go get it - and I can't blame her. If she hadn't had her phone, I would hope that she would have run back to the neighbors and banged on their door. But the fact is - that she did have one and I could come to her aid. A cheap little pre-paid phone gave us both a little comfort in an othwise very scary night!

I do not envy single working parents...

Wow it's been over a month since I've written last. As all of you busy moms out there know, time is just escaping me. Every weekday is filled with the morning hustle, then off to work then all the late afternoon chauffeuring, cooking, prepping, homework, etc. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining because I know we're all in the same boat. My husband is working a lot of overtime, which is great financially for us, but for the last three weeks I feel like a single parent. He leaves work before I wake up and gets home when the rest of us are ready for bed. I have to say, I've always thought a single parent has it tough, but I've never expected this. Every detail falls on me. There is no one to share responsibilities with. What's worse is when my daughter has to go to the neighbors house because I'm still at work and then my son calls saying he needs a ride home from football practice. You have to mentally be in several places at one time and sometimes it's asked of you to physically be in those different places. Impossible.
I have found that living this way has a few pros and cons. Pros: Financially we are doing better, and my husband and I really miss each other and are spending more quality time together. Cons: My body is physically exhausted at the end of each day. My husband and I sometimes only see each other once or twice a week.
We will continue down this road as long as we can ride it. While people are still losing their jobs, overtime is a blessing. We will continue to work at our marriage and I will find ways to lean on friends and neighbors to help take a load off. I am truly thankful that I have a great community of friends that all help each other and look out for one another.
I have a new found respect and bow down to those single parents that are doing it all. It is very difficult and you are incredible!