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Benefits of a Cell Phone
"It’s the gift that puppies, kittens and iPods don’t even compare to and until recently, I was the only person I knew who didn't have one….A cell phone. "
By Barbara Dougherty
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For many high school (and even middle school) students, cell phones are a necessity. However, for Youth Radio’s Barbara Dougherty, it wasn’t until recently that she was able to experience the benefits of staying in touch with friends and family members.
I’ve attended countless birthday parties and watched faces light up as my friends receive the ultimate gift, the one they claim they can’t possible live without. It’s the gift that puppies, kittens and iPods don’t even compare to and until recently, I was the only person I knew who didn't have one….A cell phone.
Usually the first reaction when I told people I didn't have a cell phone was stunned silence. That was often followed by some sort of embarrassed cover up where the person masked pity with a line like, “Well that’s…impressive.”
For a while I told people I didn’t have a cell phone because my dog ate it, while smiling inwardly at the fact that I don’t even own a dog. But eventually I just ended up telling people the truth when they asked for my cell number: I didn’t have one because my parents didn’t want to pay the monthly bill.
While I dealt with my parent’s excuses, I wondered if my friends ever thought about the freedoms they might be sacrificing by having a cell phone.
But every drawback to having a cell phone disappeared from my mind when my dad surprised me with a trip to purchase one.
As appreciative as I am for my cell, I hope to never get to the level of dependency some of my friends have reached. And now that I don’t have to nag my parents about a phone, I can work on nagging about that puppy.
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