In January, I hit a two year anniversary with my cell phone and got to upgrade. I was so excited to pick out a new phone. I picked out one I liked based on color, I will admit. It's a shiny pinkish/purple. It's also a flip phone and does have an element of coolness to it. It is also so slim, that is slips into my pocket and is hardly noticable. However, when it is set to vibrate, it still sends me 3 feet off the floor. I just can't get used to that.
There are other features to the phone that I really don't care about. It can surf the net, download my email, ringtones and music. Not interested. However, the coolness of my phone was way too tempting for BB and I began to notice that there were times when I couldn't find my phone. I would drive myself crazy thinking that I had misplaced it. It has happened so it is not out of character but when day after day I have been absolutely positive that I put it on the charger on the counter in the kitchen and I KNOW I saw it there a few minutes ago and then I come back and it's gone...It's a little freaky.
In a less than calm manner, I would call out, "Where is my phone?" And sure enough BB would say, "OH, I saw it in the laundry room." I know I did not put it in there. So I started to wise up and started to watch him. He would walk to the laundry room and then come back and hand me the phone. But one day I caught him walking to the laundry room with my phone in his hand saying sweetly, "I'll get it." He's a smart kid but not real bright some times.
Then one day, I was scrambling around looking for it and wracking my brain. He was laying on the couch saying "I haven't seen your phone. Really. I haven't." But I was sure I had it on the counter before I went up to the bathroom. Finally, I went over and pulled the blanket off of him and did a little frisk. My phone was in his pocket.
LIVID only scratches the surface. The irony on that day is that the school bus came early and the kids missed it. He had been goofing around with the settings on my phone so much that he had turned down the volume so when he tried to call me, I didn't hear it. So he had to call my Dad, which was good. He was resourceful and they got to school on time. HOwever, I told him that had he not been playing with my phone, I would have heard him calling. But also, what if I had not been able to find it and had gone to work without it and he needed to get a hold of me, then what?
Today, I got a text message saying that my phone bill is ready to view and I saw the amount and just about screamed or something else. This kid has been uploading or downloading (whatever) games and ringtones onto my phone to the tune of $98.
Needless to say, we had a little chat. He will be working this off for quite some time. And he is grounded from the computer until his debt is paid. I told him that this is stealing because he not only continued to take my phone without permission but he charged things onto my phone without permission and now I have to pay for it. Once it sank in, he stomped off to his room. Later, he told me that I am no fun. I guess my work here is done.
After this conversation, I shut my door and called my cell phone company to see if there was any way that I could reduce the charges. I figured it was worth a shot, right? The guy I talked to was really understanding and he looked at what was uploaded and told me it was games and ring tones. I explained that my son has ADHD and my cool phone is too tempting to him. He said he could reduce the charges by about $40. I told him what my son was going to do to repay this, and that he would be repaying the full amount, even though I was getting it reduced. He started laughing when I told him I was sitting in my room with the door shut. He was the one who came up with the term Larceny.
It fits. I am very pleased with my cell phone company for working this out with me. I think they were very reasonable. They really did not have to reduce any of the charges but I am so glad they did!
BB came up to me and asked me what he could do tomorrow to begin paying this off. I think the part of his consequence that he is the most bothered by is the lack of access to the computer. And if it gets his attention, then it is the right consequence.
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