**Note – I received complimentary products for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Let’s start this off with me telling you that I am in no way a helicopter mom, like not even close! I am not even sure that could be possible after kid 4, and being a parent for 23 years. Wow, I really just dated myself didn’t I? My kiddos range in age from 23 down to 8 year old boy/girl twins, so ya I do consider myself somewhat of an expert by this stage of the game. I am also a firm believer that children do not need cell phones, come on, I didn’t even have a walkie talkie when I was growing up. When I was a kid, you knew it was time to go home for dinner, when someone’s mom screamed at the top of her lungs for the whole neighborhood to hear, ya we were classy like that back then. My 23 year old son will tell you in horror that he made it to his senior year of high school without a cell phone. He probably still needs therapy to this day, or so he thinks. I was so not the cool mom with that kid, all his friends had a phone so why didn’t he? Let me tell you, that kid did not need anymore distractions, life was distracting enough for that one!
Trying to have a conversation with kids who can’t even lift their eyes from their screen for two seconds to talk to you, is the bain of my existence. I feel like electronics control our lives nowadays, I too am guilty of being distracted by my phone and social media, and would like to prevent this as much as possible in my kids. However, last year when my 12 year old daughter started middle school, we ran into a snag. I work shift work, and all 3 of our kids are in sports and after school activities. On days I work, my hubby is left to run three kids in different directions. Sometimes there is an overlap in pick up or drop off times, and it is our 12 year old that is often left waiting, as the others are too young still. Her softball practice is in a rural park, and while the coaches and other parents try not to leave anyone alone, it can inadvertently happen. Much to my dismay, the only solution was to get her a cell phone, so she could stay in communication with us at all times. So the day came, that with a firm conversation about rules and limits, we bought her a cell phone.
We are a really busy family, and spend a ton of time at the softball fields, our 12 year old daughter is a die hard. As you can imagine, the twins get bored of it all real fast, and want to head for the playground, or run about with the other kids. Now let me reinforce that I am not by any means an uptight doting mother, but some of these parks are huge, and very busy. I also love to watch crime shows in my down time, you know all those hours of free time I like to dream I have. So my mind races off to scary scenarios of white vans and stolen children, in this day and age you can never be too safe. I am always a bit hesitant to let the kids run off to a playground I can’t see, and after sending them off in a group, and strictly reinforcing that they need to stick together, it never fails I miss a homerun checking on them.
Getting 8 year old twins cell phones is not an option in our household, we don’t even have video games. They each have a tablet that they can use on road trips and that is the extent of it. When I saw an opportunity to review the Relay, I was ecstatic. The Relay is a screen-free smartphone, that gives kids freedom and independence, without the worry of too much screen time. Talk about a dream come true, I can keep in touch with the kids, while they wander the softball parks, and in turn they can easily get ahold of me if they get into trouble. On top of all of this, the best part of it all, is that the Relay has GPS capabilities to track your kiddos if they got lost!
I was so excited when Amazon dropped that box on my doorstep, I eagerly opened that box and started to set them up. Now let me tell you, I am electronic illiterate, and I hate doing stuff like that, but we couldn’t wait for hubby to get home. Much to my delight, setting up the Relay was super easy, and the kids were up and running in no time. I added the app to my phone, and we were all set. The Relay has a durable design, which makes them very kid friendly, and they come with fun apps that make them even more exciting. The Relay is as easy to use as a walkie talkie, and runs on the 4G network, so no need to worry about them falling out of range.
The Relay is perfect for back to school, think about those days you are picking the kids up from school, and get delayed in traffic or you’re running late. If you are anything like me, you get anxious, worrying that they will be upset. Or maybe your kids walk home, or go to a babysitter’s after school, Relay will give you peace of mind that they make it there safely. The Relay is the perfect screen-free device that allows you to keep in touch with your kids, while keeping screen-time to a minimum. Also, because the Relay does not have a phone number, there is no concern about cyber security, and outsiders having access to your kids.
To get more information on the Relay, or to find out where you can buy one, visit the website here: https://relaygo.com/
FYI, apparently the Relay is perfect for playing cops and robbers in the dark. My kids headed out there last night when the sun went down, it is Arizona after all, and we didn’t see them for 2 hours. According to them, the trick is that the cop doesn’t get a Relay, just the bad guys so they can set up their getaway plans with each other. It must have been a great time, as even the 12 year old was involved, and they made a date to play again tonight!!
Take advantage of the Relay back to school say, receive 40% off at Target.com using our Macaroni Kid link HERE from 8/11-9/14 and in Target stores from 8/25-9/14!!!
