We thought it was so cute to have Sophia use our cell phones as teething rings when she was an infant. She drooled on mine until the recharge connection corroded so badly that the battery could no longer power up completely, so I took it out and the phone became hers. Without the battery, she didn’t like it any longer. There were no lights or beeping sounds when the buttons were pushed. She gave it up immediately and wanted my new phone. I didn’t give in to it this time. It’s the old phone or no phone kid.

Recently I’ve actually been carrying my cell phone around fully charged and everything. I’ve actually been using it a little and so Sophia had to find hers. Anytime I’m on my cell or even the home phone she’ll open hers and start chattering away. LOUDLY. I’m certain she’s mocking me. I can’t hear anything when I’m on the cell phone so I’m sure a speak up to somehow compensate, and she of course picked up on this.

Now that I consistently have my cell with me, so too does Sophia. She’s taken a new shine to the old dead phone, so much so that it takes naps and baths with her. The bath thing drives Kurt batty. He can’t stand that she’s taking electronics into the tub with her even though it doesn’t work at all.

I have to pry it out of her hand when we go swimming and explain that she can have it back when we are out of the water. I don’t think she trusts it’ll stay in the locker while she’s gone. It may party while she’s away and start to think that it can live without her. It’s a wild and independent phone, you know.

Thursday after swimming we went to the park and of course she had her phone. As she climbed up ladders she held the phone with her thumb and index finger, leaving the other fingers free to help her hold onto the bars. Occasionally she would put the phone up on the platform she was climbing up to in order to make the last steps easier. A couple times, she trusted me to hold her most valued possession, but as soon as she reached the top she would insist that she have it back before going down the slide. Someone might call her and she didn’t want to miss it.

I stayed on the ground as she ran about the play area. She passed some older boys (about ten years old) who noticed her cell phone. It was pure and instantaneous jealously, “She has a cell phone!” One shouted. Sophia paid no attention. I bit my tongue and held back laughter.

I can see it now. On the way home that boy tells his parents about the toddler with a cell phone and whines, “why can’t I have one?!”

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