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The phone rang.
Not my phone — the phone.
A robotic voice toned, “Call from ... Grandpa” (because landlines are doing cool new things now). I hollered to my daughter, whose birthday it was, “Phone’s for you! Hurry and pick up!” She was 3 years old.
Birthday calls on a phone I don’t have to hand over to my kids is just one of many enjoyable reasons families should have a home phone, even in the day and age of the cellphone. Let me rephrase: especially in the day and age of the cellphone.
The benefits of a landline have been beyond what I planned or expected, and our life just wouldn’t function as well without one.
We first got a landline when my second child was around 6 months old and learning to chew solid food. As it goes at that age, I worried she was choking several times. As it also goes at that age, I was getting little sleep and in my exhausted state, lost my cellphone at least once a day and had to search room to room for it. In one scary moment, I thought she was choking and could not immediately find my cellphone in case I needed to dial 911.
After that, I told my husband I wanted a house phone as a backup. He replied it was a waste of money. I asked him how much we spend on life insurance, which there is little chance we will ever use. And I got my home phone!
For a couple of years, I mainly used it to call my cellphone, which I still lost regularly. Then, we learned my son’s best friend also had a house phone (he was 7 or 8 at the time). They began calling each other to clarify homework questions, see if the other was available to hang out before the adults worked out details via text, and to stay on the line with each other during video game sessions, which they said was better than using the online chat. They simply put each other on speakerphone and had a blast talking about the game as they played.
Parents without home phones are missing out on some excellent conveniences. Here are a few wonderful reasons for families to have a landline.
Reduce your secretarial tasks for your child
I love it when my son can call his best friend to see if he is free to hang out before I get involved. Half the time he isn’t free, and my son can get that question answered himself, saving me time. Kids can make a phone call by age 7; why should I have to do it for them?
If my kid has a phone, I don’t have to share mine
I don’t like sharing my phone with my kids. If I do hand it over for brief usage, they usually start fooling around with it, find one of the few games I have, and hang onto it after their approved business is done. Then we argue about giving it back to me. It’s just an unnecessary hassle!
For an excellent landline service designed for kids and with parental controls, check out Tin Can, started by Seattle resident Chet Kittleson.
They can call you when home alone
My daughter is 7 and we sometimes leave her home alone for 15–30 minutes, usually to take my son somewhere. She doesn’t need a cellphone in the least, but it’s great knowing she can call me from home when I’m not there.
I was pleasantly surprised at one of the features of my home phone
Our phone came as a set of three handsets and cradles. We have one in our upstairs living room, one in our basement living room, and the third is in my son’s bedroom. There is a “speaker” button I can hold down, and it goes into an intercom mode where my voice comes out of all three phone cradles. My son’s room is in our basement, so if it’s time for him to get off video games, if dinner is ready or if it’s time to get out the door for Scouts, I don’t have to walk downstairs to tell him. I basically have a PA system now and it absolutely rocks.
If there’s even a chance of it helping delay cellphones, it’s worth It
Parents need to band together and find practical ways to delay getting kids cellphones, especially smartphones, before they are truly needed. The last thing I want is another piece of tech in my house I have to keep track of or monitor; I have too many devices as it is. Kids don’t need social media to connect and the best way for them to grasp that is to have other ways to connect close at hand.
We can de-emphasize cellphone importance by having another phone around that they are allowed to use as much as they want. When they see parents with only cellphones, it sends a message that they can only socialize from home if they have their own cellphone too.
Encourage kids to start making phone calls at a young age and watch them experience the joy of conversation with the simple but delightful telephone.
Live conversations vs. the internet? There’s no comparison
True human bonding takes place when we talk to each other in real time. There is simply nothing better than real-time conversations in both the fun and the quality of the interaction. There’s no waiting anxiously by for a comment on something we posted. There are fewer misunderstandings and way more shared laughter. Perhaps best of all there is complete privacy — which is how kids are supposed to be building their relationships, not in front of the whole world and in a form that can’t be deleted.
Landlines are still great to have in an emergency
Both my husband and I put our cellphones on Do Not Disturb at night. I used to wonder what would happen if there was a family emergency and a relative did need to contact us after we went to bed. I like knowing I have a landline with a loud ring that is guaranteed to wake me up if needed. (And after about six years with it, I have never gotten a call that was a wrong number or any kind of soliciting!)
What if your cellphone was locked and your child needed to call 911 in an emergency because you were unconscious? Far easier to teach them how on a regular phone. Plus, they will always be able to find it!
It’s just fun to teach your kids how to answer the phone at 4 years old
The first time my kids answered the phone, they didn’t say “Hello?” They just started talking. It was funny. They also didn’t seem to say “goodbye” when it was time to hang up. My son would just abruptly hang up when he felt the conversation was done. It was fun to teach them the standard way to do it. They don’t get to listen to grown-ups answering phone calls as much as we did as kids! Learning this new life skill is empowering to them, and makes them feel mature to have a phone that’s mostly for their use at age 4.
All of this is dependent on one big glaring factor
If none of your kids’ friends have a landline, you won’t enjoy most of these benefits. And that is the main reason I am writing this article. As parents, we can take collective action by getting a house phone, allowing our kids to socialize in healthy ways, at young ages, with really no downside.
My wish is to see all households with kids have a landline. So send this article to your child’s favorite friend’s family. Or other parents you are friends with. By adding a landline to your home, you’ll get a backup phone that will come in handy, and a way for your kids to connect with their friends. Let’s make it happen!
