Cell Phones Parent Abuse

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A conversation on the bus the other day made me think about Everybody Hates Chris, a TV sitcom developed by Chris Rock and Ali LeRoi.

The boys on the bus were sharing stories about iphones.  One of them was going to demand the latest model from his parents.  How would Julius Rock (Terry Crews), the father in the sitcom handle such a demand?

Julius Rock carried more than one job on his shoulders to care for his family.  There are millions like him in North America, parents that struggle to pay the rent or mortgage, utilities, schooling, car payments, grooming for the family and clothing.  It is even more expensive if the kids are into special sports.

For them going away on vacation is out of the question.  Kids seem to understand that, but not when it comes to cell phones.  How many kids were in Everybody Hates Chris?  3?  That would mean five cell phones including the parents.  Is that five contracts?  Pre-Paid also costs money.
Abuse comes in when kids don’t appreciate the situation at home.  Call it peer pressure.  People who have full time jobs or businesses can afford certain luxuries.  Apparently that doesn’t apply to cell phones. 

Under-15 kids have the same hardware as working folks.  They cannot drive yet or sign a legal contract, but are already ‘adults’ when it comes to packing a hot, off the aluminium Android.  Abused parents carry basic phones so that their kids can have the latest, otherwise the playground will be hell. 
The boy on the bus maybe understands that parents do not own cars of the same size or make, but does not apply the same logic to cell phones.  I don’t think he regarded it as parent abuse when he made the demand about the latest iphone.

 

 

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