Throughout the years, my phone was always my crutch. In awkward situations I found myself looking for things to do on it. It becomes a way of not having to communicate. If I am bored or unsure of what to do in a situation, my phone comes out. Even if I am not even doing anything at all, I will go look at Instagram or Twitter in order to avoid circumstances that I don’t feel like dealing with. Dinners with my family that used to be a friendly, family affair, centered on an actual conversation, now were meals that look a little more like everyone staring at their gadgets. Then it’s over. The conversation, the atmosphere, the food, the entire experience were just things I did in between checking my phone. Awkward silence? I pull out my phone and pretend I have an email or a text to check. At a party where I don’t really know many people? Not to worry, I now have my electronic toy to hide in the corner with. It’s no wonder many of us suffer from anxiety if our phone is lost for even a few minutes. My phone has become a crutch. But, even more significantly my phone became my source of pride. After I had my first phone for a while, I got tired of it. The spoiled brat came out, realizing she needed the next best thing. I am one for technology, so when the new iPhone came out, I had to have it. My dad refused to buy it for me so if I wanted it in my possession; I was going to have to pay for it. This was the first time I had to provide money for something. My parents always got me what I wanted; I never had to pay for anything myself. When the time came that I desired an upgrade from the ragged and slow flip phone, I had to use Christmas and Birthday money that I saved up. The next time I found myself in need of a phone, this time because I left it in my short pocket and it went through the dryer, I had myself a job. My mom was a close friend with the owner of a restaurant two minutes from us. He had been looking for a busser, but my