Cracked Screen, Cracked Dreams?

There’s nothing quite so sickening to hear as the sound of a cell phone hitting the pavement.

A newly minted right of passage in my kids’ lives is their acquisition of a cell phone at the age of thirteen. My oldest got his two and a half years ago, and now my middle son is lifting his eyes to the bright light of cell phone power this summer.

It’s not something I’ve wrestled with too much. I know that screen time is bad for kids and adults (see: A Decade After the iPhone, There’s Still No Good Smartphone for Kids), but I also know that comfort with technology is a key to lifelong success. With the advent of lockdown, I also know that social engagement for kids necessarily shifted online. Well, not necessarily I guess. My three kids have lots of social interaction with one another, but it sometimes involves leaping on top of each other from across the couch. In any case, I’m cool with the phone.

Damaged goods

On day three of our Epic Family Road Trip 2021, we landed in Chicago. We made it to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Bean, Navy Pier, and the Ledge at the Skydeck on top of Willis Tower.