Cell Phones

I have a cell phone and everybody in my family has a cell phone. We do not have a landline and haven't had one for awhile therefore even my 11-yr-old has had a cell phone for the last three years.

"Why would an 8-yr-old need a cell phone" you might ask?

Since I homeschool my son he is always home. He is very independent and able to be left home alone for small stretches of time while I run errands. We don't have a home phone so I would have no other means to contact him if he didn't have a cell phone of his own. He has proven to be very responsible with his phone over the years and I am constantly trying to teach "good" cell phone habits to him now while he is young (hoping and praying they will sink in for when he is older!)

I am amazed at how rude society as a whole has become, especially in this area of cell phone use! Some of the things that really irk me are:

1. When I am having a LIVE conversation with somebody (at a lunch date for example) and they are constantly answering their cell phone while I am sitting there twiddling my thumbs! "Jeeesh, put the stupid thing on vibrate or shut it off for an hour...ya know, I guess I could make better use of my time too but I'm choosing to spend it with you so I'd appreciate the same courtesy!"
2. When I am right in the middle of a conversation on the phone with somebody and they stop me to take another call (call waiting) and don't come back. Now I can understand the emergency calls or "kids' calling" but just to stop our call because you received another better call...how rude!
3. Cell phones ringing in church!! Nuff said!
4. Traffic - no, I'm not opposed to driving while talking on the phone-- if you aren't in the FAST lane doing 40 mph NOT PAYING ATTENTION because you are on the phone!
5. Last but not least...I don't answer my cell phone all the time. Why? Because I don't like to talk on the phone all day long. Some days my phone rings constantly. Other days I don't get a single phone call. If I don't answer my phone, chances are it's because I am busy working on something and I don't feel like talking on the phone...leave a message and I'll be happy to return your call when it's more convenient for me to talk.