Chill Mom! Smashed screens are cool

My friend said to her teenage son (one-hundredth time), “I want to see it fixed!”
 It referred to the damaged screen of her son’s smart phone. Her kid smiled in response, but I read it as, “Chill Mom, I am cool with a smashed screen! The phone works, and I still have a good view.”
phoneAnd this incident of splintered screen was not a one-off case that I overheard, so it dawned on me that the broken screen is the vogue amongst the young. Having spider web screens make them feel accepted in their own tribe. It defines them as rough and cool.
This trend has been there for a few years now and it emerged out of need, as getting the screens fixed is quite expensive, and few youngsters like to shell money on repairs than on movies and friends.(Until recently the damaged phones were not considered for trade-ins https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/05/apple-damaged-phones-trade-in/). So, I don’t blame the young. They have their priorities all defined. It is us, the parents, who consider these spider webs on screens as an eye sore.

ripped
Ripped Jeans- The style that has become perennial

Suck it up parents if the broken screen works for your kid then let it be. Refresh your memory about the torn jeans that kept your parents mystified as they tried to get to the bottom of the basic question, ‘Why on earth is the ripped clothing more expensive than the new looking one?’
My dear friends this is what we call a generation gap. Every generation has its own trend that comes and goes, while some fashion becomes perennial and takes different forms like the torn bottoms and t-shirts.
Years down the lane when my children enter teenage, I am sure there will be another style that would then make me go bananas, but for now, I take comfort in embracing the broken screens and distressed clothing.
With that said, I am happy to report that my smart phone has survived months of my rough handling, and it is still in an alright condition with a pristine screen, and I am delighted with this consequence. If I get a shattered screen I will rush to get it fixed.
Photo credit: theHalo via Foter.com / CC BY
Photo credit: wearalldotcom via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
Photo credit: William Hook via Foter.com / CC BY-SA