• My 10-year-old son got his first phone, a landline. • It's the opposite of tech, and it's on my office's wall, but he still loves it. • He craves independence, and a landline gives him autonomy to make his own plans.

Forget iPhones and smartwatches — my 10-year-old's first phone is latched to my office wall.

A button-style landline with a curly cord that can barely stretch to the hallway is the antithesis of modern convenience, yet he loves it.

To him, the phone feels like a portal to independence: dialing friends, answering with a cheerful "hello," even learning the patience of a busy signal. For me, it's a radical kind of parenting experiment — a reminder that communication doesn't have to come with apps, alerts, or endless distractions.

Sometimes a phone that can't leave the r

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