Insanity
I mentioned earlier that I “rolled over” and gave in to the relentless pressure of my daughter to buy her a new phone…and even more importantly, not just a new phone but a Blackberry. Her mother and I went to the AT&T store together, her goal being to get our daughter a functional but not fancy phone and my goal being to get rid of the constant begging and nagging. We walked out with this:
I must admit that my daughter looks mighty cool with her new pink Blackberry. I also must admit that I’m very relaxed now that the pressure of saying “no” or giving in to my daughter is now over.Â
But as I think back over the last few days, I’ve come to several conclusions:
(1) My wife talks a good and stern game, but she as much as me ends up giving in at the ultimate point of the maximum amount of pressure
(2) Although I fully understand that other phones are “good enough” for a 14 year old, this pink Blackberry is something special for MY 14 year old
(3) When you get to the phone store and see the difference between the $59, $99, $139, and $179 phones (with available rebates and the obligatory 2 year service agreement), the lower dollar phones look very cheap and the higher dollar phones look over priced; the Blackberry is right in the middle and it looks “just right” for any child of mine
(4) There’s something really special about that “you’re the best” hug that comes from the 14 year old after she finally gets her way; I fully understand that giving in is absolutely the worst thing to teach her, but the hug isn’t nearly the same (if I get one at all)Â if she doesn’t get her way; that “thanks for giving in Dad” hug is something hard to explain but so special to get
(5) Now that my 14 year old has a Blackberry, she can show me all the different tricks on it that I never have been able to figure out for the 10 years that I’ve had one (or something like that)
So I feel pretty good now…what an awesome Dad I am to have given my daughter the exact model of the exact phone in the exact color that she wanted. How cool am I!