by Julia Hammond

Dear seventh grade social-media consumed brother,

I remember the days we used to play outside passing the soccer ball, throwing

the football or even (brace yourself), talking to each other face to face. Ever since mom and dad bought you a phone, a virtual barrier has been built between us. At first I thought it would be convenient for you to have a phone because you play so much baseball and would need to contact me or mom and dad (preferably) to get to and from practice. However, I strongly regret ever feeling that way.

The amount of time you spend on your phone is quite annoying. First of all, I don’t understand the point of FaceTiming girls on a Saturday night to just watch what they are doing while they watch you play video games, instead of actually striking up a conversation. That is the equivalent of going to a football game and sitting in your car the whole time. It defeats the purpose. Secondly, I did not invent Instagram, but I bet you a large amount of money it was not designed for selfies. Your generation is obsessed with posting pictures of themselves daily as if they look different from the day before (news flash: they don’t).

And lastly, I am sincerely concerned for your lack of face to face communication that will be vital for your future. I take you to school every day and end up waving my hand in your face to remind you I am still present, and generously taking the time to drive you to school, I might add. But you don’t pay attention, because you are too busy texting or playing Clash of Clans. I promise you the girl you are texting at 7:20 a.m. will not die if you fail to respond, even if you don’t believe me. Trust me, I understand phones are addicting, especially because they are the main form of communication these days. However, a few minutes without that iPhone screen in front of you won’t do you too much harm.

I hope this is just an early teenage phase, or else the rest of our lives together might be a generational battle. I love you brother, but I would love it even more if I could have an actual conversation with you, freckled-face to freckled-face. Imagine that.

With love, concern, and an ever-shaking head,

Julia