Don’t allow phones use in the car with me. It’s not very long rides though so I don’t get much push back. |
We don't have any hard and fast rules about it. On long rides, I will sometimes tell her that it is rude for her to just be on the phone while I'm driving her. Mostly though, she'll put it away on her own. |
No, we don't allow it. We get so little down time together that I require her to talk to me. I actually had the same rule about reading as kid. Car time is time for talking with family. |
So depressing. Do you not speak with your family any other time? |
I carpool a lot of 13 year old boys. They look at their phones but also talk. It’s fine. I wouldn’t ban it. |
Phone usage hasn’t stopped any conversations between me and my kids. We multitask, talk to each other and browse our phones at the same time. |
No reading books in car. No using phone in car. They can talk/sleep/daydream/roll their eyes/ignore me/whatever else.
Scientifically, concentrated focus up close leads to progression in nearsightedness, and it's worse in a moving vehicle with all the vestibular calibration that has to happen. I don't police other people's teens riding in my car. |
Car rides are when my kids show me what music they are listening to, so of course they need their phones to do that (and fight each other to be the ride’s DJ). The sometimes answer some texts or calls, I mean, normal cellphone use. I wouldn’t feel good if they were scrolling or watching stuff with airpods on, though. I am not an Uber. |
You get so little downtime because they don’t want their downtime with you. My teens are always asking to go out together, watch a tv show, or just come on my bed and talk. They also play travel sports, socialize with friends and one has a boyfriend. In the car they sometimes don’t talk, sometimes put AirPods in, and many times it’s a combo of conversations and phone. Sometimes we still play car games. I know for a fact if I pushed “talk to me” time, they wouldn’t in fact not talk to me. |
Have a cookie |
There’s only so many hours in a day. Don’t be such a judgmental **** |
I think your issue is that your son is always tuned out, when he has his phone? Or are you anticipating that scenario? In our case, sometimes the teen is in a bad mood and is listening to airpods/playing games on phone. Other times she isn't in a bad mood and may start up a conversation. She hates it though if you insist on talking when she isn't in the mood.
What works for us is to be open to conversation without enforcing it. But, if your son never wants to talk, I can understand why you'd want to implement rules. But maybe compromise on 50/50 or something? Because you can't make him talk to you if he doesn't want to. |
I allow it, because it doesn't interfere with conversation. |
Could give a crap your kid goes to Catholic school OP that has nothing to do with this ? Why did you even put that in this post?
Of course, he should use his phone in the car. You are insane. |
Yes, a whole 24. If the 10m in your car is the only time you can force your child to talk to you, you have bigger issues than a phone. |