Oscar Wolfe
If there’s one object every kid wants, it’s a smartphone. Phones are expensive, and parents worry we’ll be on them too much, so it’s going to take some convincing. As a proud owner of one for three years now, I have some life hacks that might do the trick.
1. Make it look like your parents are benefiting.
This can be accomplished via the hand-me-down phone hierarchy. In my household, if we get a new phone, my mom gets it, her phone goes to my dad, his goes to me, and mine goes to my brother. So when trying to get a phone, I make sure to emphasize the fact that my mom would be getting a new phone. Make it seem good for your parents.
2. Get into a situation where you need a phone and capitalize on it.
For me, this came the summer before seventh grade. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up. I waited, and waited, and waited. Without a phone, I had no way to know she had been detoured for nearly an hour. After this fiasco, I pointed out that it probably wouldn’t be the last time something unpredictable happened, especially considering I would be in more afterschool activities in junior high.
3. Don’t make cliché arguments.
If you say something like, “All the other kids have one,” your parents will easily make a comeback with a Valuable Life Lesson. They’ve probably already thought them through. So be careful not to whine—stick with the facts. Good luck getting your phone!
Oscar, 14, is an eighth-grader at Hopkins North Junior High. Check out his blog, thatisgreat.co.
