The Laws of Physics and Families

By Daniel Neal

According to the laws of physics, only subatomic particles, not people, can be in two places at once.

To which today’s parents politely reply, “Scientists have never met my kid.”

Kids demand to be in two places at once—off with their friends to the mall or a concert, and still close to their parents if they need them. Parents also have to be in two (or more) places at once—work, home, sports field, store, car—all while keeping tabs on their kid.

kajeet™ happily defies the laws of physics, helping kids stay connected to their parents and parents to their kids, while giving them the freedom to be anywhere. Who says you can’t be in two places at once?

Mobility and freedom sound great in theory, but they’re often worrisome in practice—especially if you’re a parent and it’s your kid that’s mobile. Kids can’t wait to be mobile. Holding them back just makes them pull away harder. But most parents know this essential truth—when kids pull, they don’t want their parents to let go entirely. Otherwise, they might fall over.

So how do kids really feel about having their freedom and staying connected to their families?

• On-Demand Reassurance. Kids don’t readily admit to needing the reassurance of their parents, but they do. It’s easy to protect a five-year-old who’s glued to your side. But how do you provide unobtrusive and immediate comfort to a kid who is determined to be independent?

Take the example of Bobby, a tough (but not quite tough enough) ten-year-old. One day at school, Bobby is bullied by bigger kids. He’s embarrassed and also a little afraid. He can’t run home for reassurance, but he can call and talk to his dad, and that helps bridge the distance until they can talk about the situation at home later. And he can save face with the other kids because talking on a cell phone always looks cool, not childish.

• Crisis Logistics. Most everything is a crisis for a kid, of course. Parents live in a perpetual state of guilt and frustration because they can’t keep up with their kid’s schedule. Hey, is that the kid’s fault (protests the kid)? Kids can’t drive and they still need their parent’s permission to do most of the things they want to do.

Take the example of Rachel, who is thirteen and on the soccer team. Rachel is expected to be at practice after school but the game is canceled because of rain. Rachel wants to go with her friend to the movies. She needs permission from her mom and a ride now, or they’ll miss the previews. Rachel text messages her revised plans to her mom’s Blackberry, and mom changes directions and heads over to school instead of the soccer field to get her daughter. Crisis averted.

• Bridging The Gap. In a different kind of example of mobile tech helping families stay connected, mom and dad have divorced, and dad has recently moved out of state to take advantage of a new job opportunity. That physical separation shouldn’t mean his child is less close to him than his mother, and father and son talk on their cell phones and IM each other every day. Similarly, instant messaging sometimes makes for closer, more moment-to-moment and personal child-parent communication than busy dinnertime conversation.

One of the benefits of technology is that in a culture where “mobile” can describe a wide range of things in your life, your position in cyberspace is fixed. Friends and family always know where they can find you. Technology offers great fluidity, it’s true, but it also offers tremendous stability.

In 1687 Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of gravity described how our feet stay firmly and safely on the ground and we don’t float off into space.

In 2006, kajeet™ posited the law of families: floating is fun and important for growth. Staying connected is essential for families.

—Daniel Neal is a father and Founder and
Chief Executive Officer of kajeet™ (kajeet.com)

About kajeet™

Founded in 2003, kajeet is the pay-as-you-go cell phone service made from a kid's point of view. With kajeet, kids get a new world of mobile entertainment, customization, and communication and parents can feel good about getting a kid a cell phone with affordable rates for calls, texts, picture messaging and more with no long-term contracts, and no activation or termination fees. And, with exclusive kajeet Configurator, kids and parents can customize the service to meet their family's unique needs. kajeet and kids: use it for texting, use it for sharing, use it for playing ... use it for good.™

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