How do you deal with cell phones?
by Lori Webb / ga10052007

What we have done was we bought an over the door shoe organizer and decorated it really cute with ribbon and flowers. I labeled each pocket with a girls name and even put guest on a few extra ones.  I also did the leaders names on pockets. I used printed out the names on iron on paper and ironed the names on. So, here is the deal we introduced it initially and showed the girls they loved it and thought that it was really cute. We have everyone put their phones in their own pockets at the beginning of mutual. And we allow them to check their phone for messages halfway through mutual. Nobody complained at all. We also put a treat (sucker or a little piece of candy) in the pocket so that when they pick up their phone they get a treat. It puts another positive spin on it. As far as the parents having an issue on the girls not having their phones at all times, mutual is only 90 minutes long. Really, they can go that long without a phone.  We are just so used to having that security of a phone at all times now, we just need to understand that it is not okay to have cell phones during mutual.