I don't know about the rest of the parents out there but Chance has been asking for his own cell phone since before he actually knew our home number. I pointed out that that could be an impediment with his own phone but he wasn't convinced. Technology is everywhere and the kids think it's just as cool as the rest of us do. Even when they don't know how to do it yet.
So I got this really cool invitation from Hallmark to go to a backstage event last week with Demi Lovato. Hallmark partnered with her to present their newest little gadget – this one aimed at kids who want to be just as hip as the big guys. Available beginning yesterday, Text Bands lets kids send text messages to each other just like they want, without killing your pocketbook or opening up your kids to the potentially hazardous online world too early.
Text Bands are these neat little watch-like bracelets that kids can program with up to 24 different text messages at a time. You need two of them work because they speak to each other. Then when a kid sees a friend or sibling with another Text Band they can trade their message with a fist bump or by shaking hands (basically, close proximity causes the band to band transfer). Bad word filters are also in place so your children can't call each other "poophead" or worse all day long (which Chance and his best buddy tried immediately btw). It makes the kids feel like grownups, lets them express themselves, and keeps them safe while doing it. And besides entertaining them for hours, it puts the whining for a phone on reprieve. Double bonus!
And here, drumroll please, is Demi playing to a room full of kids and their parents. It was very sweet actually. Most of the girls were rapt with attention! (The boys, as usual, were little wigglers.)
Not to be a “troll”, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. Texting is dangerous and socially destructive enough for adults and adolescents–we certainly don’t need to encourage children to engage in it.