Heya playa, I'm finally back now.
I took a week off after Vidcon to recharge my battery and to really think about the type
of videos that I want to put together so all week long I want to discuss convincing your
parents to let you do certain things.
I know a lot of you guys struggle with having conversations with your parents about certain
topics and in this video, I really want to focus on talking to them about getting you
a smartphone or even just letting you use your smartphone more often so, if that's something
you're struggling with and you want tips on how to do it, this video is gonna help you.
For those of you that are new here, my name is Josh and every single Monday through Friday
I make videos sharing tips, ideas and stories teaching you how to be your best self.
Now, some of the most common reasons why I've heard parents don't want to get their kids
cell phones simply is because they think you're going to spend too much time on it, it's going
to get in the way of your schooling or you're just not gonna be responsible enough with
it and you're gonna be on it 24/7.
I would say, the first thing you should do is showcase responsibility in other areas
of your life.
If your parents see that you're responsible when it comes to let's say your homework,
or studying for tests then they're gonna start to see that hey, you're able to manage tasks
and you're not gonna kind of goof off or slack off when it comes to doing them.
Parents want to know that they're not just handing over a distraction for you, that they're
not giving you something that's going to take you away from your responsibilities.
So the burden kind of falls on you to hold up that end.
To show them that hey, you're responsible, you're mature and you can handle one of these
things.
The second concern that a lot of parents have is safety.
They want to make sure that you're not going on your phone and doing something that can
get you in a lot of trouble.
Whether it's setting up a social media account and talking to random strangers and giving
out your address and phone number and things like that, they just want to know that you're
doing things that can't hurt you later on.
I've spoken to a lot of parents over the years and one of their major concerns is that their
kid is gonna send out a naked photo of themselves or give out their home address and have a
stranger come visit them.
There's always that underlying fear that hey, you're gonna make a mistake and you're not
really gonna think it through so if you want your parents to be convinced that you deserve
a cell phone, maybe the best thing to do is to have open access for them.
If at any time they would want to look at it or go through your social media profiles
to read your messages, let them do it.
I know, you don't really wanna have them invading your privacy but it might be what you have
to give up in order to get the phone.
Now that doesn't necessarily mean that your parents will do that.
That they'll be all up in your business and read all your messages and just kind of interfere
in all of your different relationships but having the access to do it means that they'll
feel way more trusting knowing that if something does start to seem a little fishy, they can
always jump in, it's not a guarantee that they will.
But the part that I think you're waiting for is how exactly should I approach that conversation?
Or if you're already talked to your parents about it in the past, how do you kind of reapproach
it even though they've kind of given you a straight answer of no?
Well, I think the best way to go about it is to honestly share what you want.
To say hey mom/dad/whomever you're with, can I get a cell phone?
A bunch of my friends have them and by having a cell phone, I feel like I'll be able to
communicate better and stay up to date on what's going on in the world.
Make sure to mention the two points that I outlined, let them know that having a phone
isn't going to interfere with your responsibilities of school, that you're still going to stay
on task and if it does start to interfere, you have no problem working within cut off
times throughout the night for them to set.
So, if it's maybe after dinner you're not allowed to go on your phone, that's ok.
Remember, you still have a phone.
And then the second point is the safety issue.
If they feel like you're going to be doing things that they don't feel comfortable with
let them know that at any time they can jump on your phone, they can look through what
you're doing and they can feel a little bit more comfortable with you having it.
Now if you're already asked them multiple times and they continuously say no, try to
ask them at what age they would feel comfortable with you having that phone.
And if that's the case and you have to wait a few years, then so be it.
I remember getting my first phone when I was about 15 or 16 years old so if you don't have
one yet, don't worry.
It is a process and it's something you will eventually get, you just have to work towards
getting it.
But now I want to know what you think, what are your parent's thoughts on getting a cell
phone?
Are they ok with it?
Do they tell you a certain age you have to be to get one?
Share your comments down below and let's get that conversation started.
But also, I've put together a playlist of different videos on how to convince your parents
to let you do certain things so check that over there on the side, or is it on this side?
I always forget, check it out anyway.
I have more videos on it, keep on learning guys and on that note, I'll catch you tomorrow.
As always, love and peace.