A Landline for the Kids
Tin Can phone currently in our living room
We recently got a landline phone for the kids. We are trying to keep our kids off smartphones for as long as possible (wish us luck as we head into highschool!) . And I say this without judgement for parents that choose to give their kids phones. As Amy Poehler says, “Good for her! Not for me”. I have a few reasons I am delaying it as long as I can.
I am addicted to my phone. It is always with me. If I am ever bored or lonely I reach for my phone. In a lineup? Phone. Waiting in the car? Phone. Need some downtime? Phone. And I am an adult with a fully-formed brain who didn’t have a smart phone until I was like 25 ?? If I have trouble limiting my screen-time, how can I expect a kid to?
I have felt the comparison and envy of social media. I am currently being fed weight-loss Reels constantly. I would be so scared for what my kids would be fed by the algorithm and while I know a smart phone doesn’t necessarily mean social media, I think it is much harder to control a phone’s content once they have it. I am also constantly battling YouTube shorts in my house so I don’t need another device with this opportunity.
Knowing what my particular kid can manage. I know other kids that can turn off screens or put them down without complaint. But that is not my kid. We have tried many techniques to see if reasonable screen-time could be managed independently and it hasn’t happened, yet. (note: Theo does have an apple watch with his own number so we can reach him if we need to. There are quite a number of limitations on it, so it’s mainly used for texting and calls. As a family we we are happy with this option to give him some more freedom).
Anyway, a lot of this is about my almost teen (!!!!) but I also have an almost 10 year old who loves to text and chat with her friends. With her limited screen-time, she is often stealing my phone to text the group chat or to facetime them. While I love that she’s so social, all of us fighting over one piece of technology was not working for us. They lost their ipad (a story for another day) and I am not looking to buy them a new one. So this sent me on the hunt for a landline phone. I landed on Tin Can . Mostly I was swayed by the aesthetics and nostalgia of the shape and colours of the phone. This is the one I bought HERE in Static White.
Some things I love are:
you can control who calls (through an app you add approved contacts)
it works through wifi so can be plugged in anywhere in the house
can call 911 (if you approve)
free to call other Tin Can phones (so if you rally enough friends you could potentially use it for free!)
approx $15 cdn a month for unlimited calls
I believe there are other wifi enabled landline providers for maybe even less money per month and then you could find a phone at a thrift store, I see plenty there all the time. Or you can get an actual landline with your local provider and it can go down in price if you bundle services. The Tin Can is just what we chose.
So far Mae has made a little phone book and added all her friends numbers to it. She’s called everyone she knows “Hi this is Mae calling from my LANDLINE!!!”. She’s had a few extended conversations, mostly with my friends and some family. I find kids these days are so used to facetime or playing a game while talking to their friends that it’s a bit of an adjustment to just chat! If only they knew we used to talk for HOURS on the phone.
I also love that they can call the grandparents and also have an easy way to call us if they are ever home alone. I know, the novelty of this hard-wired phone idea, hahahaha. Why did we ever get rid of them? Also I was remembering how I finally got a second line on the family phone when I was I think, 15?? And here my 9 year old has her own line and phone. Oh how times have changed.
I was kindly gifted our Tin Can but I am paying for the continued services. I had no obligation to share this post, just sharing because it has added to our life and I love a clever solution to a modern problem. The link to purchase is an affiliate link, if you choose to buy. As always, thanks for the support.