Healthy Dose of Reality

This afternoon That Kid got a healthy dose of reality...He has been on our cell phone plan now for about 4 years. He pays us about $30 a month for the privilege of having this cell phone, which covers the Text Message Plan, that he uses almost exclusively. He doesn't like that I monitor his phone use, block some people from being able to communicate with him on this phone, and block the phone from ANY use during the hours he is in his college classes and his math class.

He complains about the fact that he is "an adult" so he should be able to talk to whoever, whenever he wants. My argument is that these are "high school classes" and he needs to be more responsible with his phone usage. This includes NOT TEXTING while he DRIVES....which is why he wrecked our truck, and cost himself $500 to pay the insurance deductible. Basically I am trying to get him to ACT like the adult he claims HE IS!! He may be an adult by age, but he is still acting like a "child", therefore I treat him like a child!

Anywho....he decided he has had enough of all my "butting into his bizness" in regards to his cell phone. He went down to the local Cingular Phone store and tried to get his own cell phone account with a new phone. He came out of there realizing that he doesn't have it so bad. They were going to charge him nearly $1000 to open his own account! Not to mention the cheapest plan he could get with UNLIMITED TEXTING would cost him $60 plus taxes per month! The reason for this outrageous expense? He has NO CREDIT! He is 18, living at home, with a job that he is paid as a sub-contractor! The car he drives, is paid for by us and is from his grandfather!

I realize I should have felt sorry for him, but in reality I was pleased that he wasn't able to open his own account. Not because I don't want him to have his own account, but because it is foolish to spend that kind of money every month, unnecessarily. If he were living on his own, earning a consistent income, and not going to school full time, that would be different. But his reason for getting his own account is so I can't monitor it...well there you go-- a little dose of reality! If someone else foots the bill, someone else gets the privileges and the power!!

I am glad I wasn't the "BAD GUY" this time!! Sometimes reality sucks and sometimes reality is GOOD...this time it was GOOD!!!