On my daily Metro rides I figured about 25% of the people are "Learying" with their iPods or cellphones. They can't be bothered or put another way "when the buds are in, the bud is out". I saw quite a few people fondling their cellphones, flipping them open and shut, or playing with the buttons but fiddling nonetheless like the phone were electronic rosary beads.

My kids want cellphones and iPods but no way. Although the case can be made that phones are great for emergencies the case can also be made that there are plenty of responsible adults with cellphones around them at all times. They don't need to be tethered electronically and we don't need the hassle of lost or broken phones. When they can demonstrate that they can take care of breakable things for more than a month then we'll talk.

More importantly I don't want them used to phoning their friends every second. They can visit them in person, learn some social graces instead of fon3sp3ak. The phone should be for planning to get together with friends, especially considering they're all in the neighborhood. No lazy kids mine!

Yeah, arguably electronics are ruining America - movies, music, ebooks, pcs, consoles. We've lost something social. Pity.

Alright kids, your turn on the computer...I'm done.