Don't forget etiquette on phone: Kids are listening

Published May 19, 2011 in the Commercial Appeal

My 9-year-old has been playing a computer game that "requires" him to simultaneously talk on speaker phone with his friend who is at his house playing the same game and talking on his speaker phone.

It kind of reminds me of when my dad used to play online bridge in his boxer shorts at all hours of the night in the late '90s. He stopped every few minutes to call his online partner, wherever he was, and yell at him over the phone. (The reason he turned to online bridge was because he'd been suspended from the local bridge club for yelling at his in-person partner too many times.)

So far, my son appears to have a much calmer demeanor than his grandfather -- as long as his little brother is nowhere near. While playing the game, Satchel offers helpful advice to his friend, Theo. They team up and help each other out. It's cute -- in small doses...(Read more).