repost PHONE example

 I never check my 12-year-old daughter’s phone. She is always with me so there is no need to, but last night I asked to use her phone for a minute and she panicked. Why? Honestly speaking, as a 17-year-old I get that feeling. I messed up big time and went behind my parents back when I was 15, talking to people I shouldn’t had. At 15, just when my parents were starting to trust me with a phone, i messed it up which forced them to take my phone away for a while. After i got it back, i continued going behind their backs. This also forced them to keep a close eye on me, i used to take my phone to my mom every single night before bed and if i didn’t, i wouldn’t be allowed to use my phone the next day. This continued for an entire year until my 17th birthday this year when they got me a new phone as a gift since the last one was pretty damaged (it was a hand me down). Deep down I knew I didn’t deserve a phone after everything I had done, I even said that to my parents. They didn’t fully trust me yet either, but I still got it. For about 7 months following my birthday, my routine was the same. I used to hand my mom my phone every night before bed. I completely cut the people out of my lives that were a danger to me in my parents’ eyes. Looking back, i agree with them. 2 months ago, they were fine with me taking my phone with me to my room at night. Now even if I know that they won’t check my phone, I still avoid doing things online that I think my parents wont approve of. Moral of the story, I think its still too soon to completely trust a kid at 12. Setting boundaries for kids like us will teach us whats right and whats wrong with time. As you can see it took me 2 years to correct where I was wrong. I hope this helps :