Last summer, my son came home for a short visit of four weeks before going back to Kansas to attend his 10th grade at high school. He and his best buddy here in Phoenix had been planning to attend a big rock bash for months. My son is a very responsible young man and he's had a cell phone since he was 9 years old because we live on a mountain and I have mobility problems and could never just "run next door" to find him when dinner was ready. Over the years, he's never lost his phone even once and only one time, carelessly jumped into a swimming pool with it in his pocket so that time, he was "punished" by having to use an old phone we had until time came to replace his phone.

Anyway, last summer, at the rock concert, he "lost" his phone. He usually carries it in his pocket and he was wearing those nylon basketball trainers and his story was he thought that when he sit down, it slid out of his pocket. At least, that's what he thought.

He called to tell me this the next morning after spending the night with his pal. I said, well, we do have an old phone you will have to use until we can get you another one. He said aren't you going to yell at me? I said, no, I know you didn't mean to lose it. He said he thought I'd at least yell at him. Puzzled, I said, I don't usually yell at you about things, dear. He said, OK. See you later.

I phoned and found out that I could get his same phone on special offer for very little money so went ahead and ordered it.

When he got home and I told him, he was furious! I was puzzled! I told him, look: You do not know for sure if you lost the phone or if it was stolen. Right? So let's assume that someone could have POSSIBLY stolen it from you and since I was able to get you the same phone for next to nothing, no foul, no harm. OK?

He still couldn't understand why I wasn't mad. His older half-sister tells him all the time that he's "spoiled". That's because she had a horrible mother. I think she's jealous. I told him to STOP listening to her, that he isn't spoiled, that he is very responsible, and that spoiled children don't appreciate things they get. She is living in the wrong generation and should have been a hippie where her feelings of guilt for everything she has would have been appropriate.