Kids and Cell Phones

Now both kids have a cell phone.  Kendall has had one for about a year, and I have to say it’s come in quite handy.  He’s done a great job of managing the use of his phone, and controlling the urge to use the phone inappropriately (whether time of day or types of downloads).  We got Kiana a cell phone this week, and we gave it to her last night, as a part of the end-of-school-year celebration. 

We got her a cell phone for a couple of reasons.  Primarily, when we move to Wimberley at the end of the month, we’re going to cut the cord – we’re not getting a land line.  So – we’re reasoning (rationalizing?) that all four of us need a cell phone, to remain accessible.   Secondarily, we want her to feel like part of this digital family.  We noticed that spend a lot of time engaged in digital pursuits, and although Kiana has an iPod for communication, and a Nintendo DS for gaming, she isn’t able to take part in the messaging and phoning that we all do amongst each other.

We “solved” that with a new Blackberry Pearl.  It’ just like Mom’s phone, it has a keyboard for all of the texting she’ll do, it’s small enough for a little purse or pocket, it’s a candybar so there are no hinges or sliders to break, and we’ve found the Blackberry to be a little workhorse and not prone to easy breakage if dropped.  Kiana absolutely loves it.  She’s still figuring out the functionality, and because both Mom and Dad are BB users, she’s got lots of questions and is intent on getting the right answers.  

We know this isn’t something we would have done this summer, had we not been moving.  We’re a little early on the whole kids and cell phones thing, with our 11 year-old.  That said – we think we’ve covered all of the appropriate parenting bases – but I’m sure there are some yet uncovered.  We had the conversation about appropriate usage, we subscribe to the unlimited family plan with texting, we’ve put on the parental controls feature, and we’re monitoring the usage.  I’ll be watching closely – hope this goes well… 

Our kids didn’t get them *this* early…

Last Day of School

Do you remember your last day of school, at any grade level, from K – 12?  I sort of remember my 8th grade and something like 10th, but I can’t say that I remember either of them very well.  Kiana and Kendall got out of school today.  Kiana’s last day of 5th grade, and Kendall’s last day of 8th. 

Kendall had a number of exit exams, and seems to have done well enough to get out of 8th grade, and into whatever level of classes are offered at Wimberley High School.  He’s done well, and we’re proud of the education he’s had so far, but also how much he puts into it.  He studies hard, completes his work without prodding, participates in class, gets good marks, and is widely respected by his teachers and peers.  Kiana, without the pressures of full middle school exit exams, has been able to get through the week of parties and field days with grace.  Her fifth grade year has been excellent, outside of our disappointment in one of her instructors.  She’s found her voice in her writing (including poetry and songwriting), and her math and science enthusiasm and marks are outstanding.  She puts in so much effort – more than is expected - and her teachers appreciate not only her academics, but also her leadership in the classroom.

Both of their music has come so far this year.  Thanks to Dr. Woodard’s (Kendall’s choral instructor) interest in his singing, Kendall tried out for the Georgia All-State Choir.  He made the cut, went to All-State,  and had a fantastic experience.  Parallel to, and (I believe) enabled/encouraged by that success, Kendall has started to sing on his own – both with the four-piece rock band he put together, and solo with a guitar.  His band performed a couple of times for their peers at school, and he actually performed solo three separate times:  at the 8th grade dance, at a friend’s end-of-year party, and at a charity fundraiser, where he helped raise some money for a local teen’s bone marrow transplant.  Quite a year, by any musical standards.  Kiana, too, has had a very solid year of musical progress.  She’s gaining fast on Kendall, in the piano books – threatening to catch him in the next year.  She moved from the electric to the acoustic guitar, in an effort to be more a a singer/songwriter/player than the burgeoning electric front-person.  Her chord progressions, and her overall ‘feel’ for the music are better than ever – I’m so glad she’ll have an outlet for what I’m sure will be some real teenage girl angst in her coming years.

I hope today’s last day of school is memorable for these kids.  I plan to remind them of their progress.  It doesn’t seem like that long ago we had a couple of kids.  Now we have some rather independent young people, a teen and a tween.  I couldn’t be prouder of both of them (as if you needed me to point that out, after this glowing post), and I’m glad to be a part of their lives.  It’s their last day of school in Atlanta – and just the start of great things where we’re going.

Acceleration

I was talking with a colleague today, about the pace of business, and all that we’re expected to do – at our jobs, at home, in the community, for ourselves…    There’s a lot to do, we agreed.  The demands of the business have increased exponentially as we progress in our careers, and as expectations of others rise regarding our ability and willingness to instantly respond to the crisis of the moment.  There don’t seem to be more people around to do the work (the opposite, in fact), and the work doesn’t seem to be getting any easier, especially in troubled economic conditions.

The good thing is, I have the technology available to blur the lines between work and non-work.  I can be away from the computer, and be at my kids’ school band concert in the middle of the day.  I can create and submit that spreadsheet/email/presentation that just “has to” be done, without going in to the office at night or on the weekend.  The bad thing is, the technology makes it easy to get so much done that I (and I suspect others) try to do even more, and even more.  When I’m at the concert, if there’s an intermission, I’ll often “just check” the blackberry – more often than not, I’ll respond to something.  When I’m doing that “one thing” that has to be done, I’ll do others, because “there’s so much to do.”

I know it’s just a discipline issue.  I need to recognize when I’m doing too much – I need to segment, and it’s really my responsibility to create my own balance.  When I do take time, I enjoy the things I do.  Guitar lessons with the kids, for example, is usually the highlight of my week.  A cocktail and a conversation in the early evening is a perfect way to put some parentheses around an hour.   But during the week, during the day, when I’m buried in the latest thing, and there are 20 more “things” – it’s tough to lift my head up, much less my thoughts.

Remember, back in the day, when your colleague would walk down the hall, ask if you had a few minutes, and you could walk down to the coffee shop and talk business for a little bit?  I think I’m going to do that more.  And I think I’m going to be happy about all that’s going on.

Winding it down in Atlanta

This week is about starting the process of winding down the Atlanta presence.

Some logistical things – like changing cell phone numbers to the Austin area, changing the work location in all of the corporate systems, talking to the movers, registering the kids for school, and working out the temporary lease on a place in Wimberley.

Some exciting things – working out whether we can get a temporary/quirky little place on the river, letting the family know when we’ll be there, setting up camps and mini-vacations for the summer, and buying the end-of-school-year gifts for the kids (new phone, new game platform).

Some bittersweet things – attending a couple of going away parties that folks are having for us, helping the kids get everywhere in the next few weeks to get their yearbooks signed and friends touched, getting rid of smaller kids’ beds and buying new ones for the new place, taking down all the bird feeders and art around the place.

Lots to do – not nearly enough time between now and June 30 – but we’re ticking down to the move, and we’ll go, ready or not…