Make a Call, Take a Call

Summary

The Dr. Laura Podcast

Episode: Make a Call, Take a Call
Date: March 3, 2026
Host: Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Main Theme: Responsible Parenting Choices Around Kids and Cell Phones

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Laura Schlessinger takes a call from parents debating whether to get their 15-year-old son his first cell phone. The discussion centers on parenting decisions in the digital age, the psychological and social impacts of smartphones on teens, and how to foster responsibility and independence in teenagers. Dr. Laura emphasizes setting boundaries, parental roles, and the concept of becoming “obsolete” as children mature into adults.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Should a 15-Year-Old Get a Cell Phone?

[01:12 – 02:24]

• A father calls in seeking mediation: his wife and he disagree about their son getting a phone for his first job.

• Dr. Laura’s stance:

  • “No, no cell phone.” [01:26]
  • “Kids who have access through cell phones, very bad. Psychologically very bad. Socially very bad. Terms of getting addicted.” [01:28-01:36]
  • Cites lawsuits against social media companies as evidence.

• Dr. Laura’s solution:

  • “There are phones that all they do is make a call, take a call. That’s a phone.” [01:57]
  • Advocates for “dumb phones” that cannot access the internet or social media; only calls and texts are permitted.

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2. Parental Roles & Transitioning Independence

[03:01 – 04:20]

• The mother believes she can manage contact as a stay-at-home mom, but Dr. Laura disagrees:

  • “He’s going to be a man soon. And she’s got to back off from that. Sorry, mom. You’re becoming obsolete. A good parent becomes obsolete. A good parent doesn’t find more ways to control.” [03:14-03:31, Dr. Laura]

• Quote: “A good parent becomes obsolete. A good parent doesn’t find more ways to control.” [03:28]

• Dr. Laura advises giving the child responsibility with clear consequences:

  • “If you don’t keep up your chores, which are—list them… If two days in a row they’re not done and you’re not in a coma, the cell phone goes.” [04:08-04:20]

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3. Building Responsibility Through Earning & Consequences

[04:40 – 06:51]

• The mother proposes the son earn his own phone through work. Dr. Laura reframes this:
  • If the phone is required for a job, parents can loan the money and make the child pay it back:
    • “We will loan you the money and you will pay it back $5 a week when you get your job.” [06:31-06:40]
  • The father notes their son could pay for it himself.

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4. Establishing Family Communication and Control

[05:43 – 06:06]

• Dr. Laura summarizes the method for giving teens control and teaching adulthood:
  • “So the choice becomes his. Do I want to keep this phone? I damn well better do my chores. That’s how you give control to the kid who’s going to grow up into an adult. You need him to take responsibility for that, not Mommy. Our job, believe it or not, is to become obsolete.” [05:43-06:06]

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Memorable Quotes

• Dr. Laura: “Whoever is saying he should have a phone is a bad parent and ignorant about the realities of how this impacts kids.” [01:57]
• Dr. Laura: “Sorry, mom. You’re becoming obsolete. A good parent becomes obsolete. A good parent doesn’t find more ways to control.” [03:14-03:31]
• Dr. Laura: “So the choice becomes his. Do I want to keep this phone? I damn well better do my chores.” [05:43]
• Dr. Laura: “You need him to take responsibility for that, not Mommy. Our job, believe it or not, is to become obsolete.” [06:04-06:06]

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Important Timestamps

• 01:12 – Caller introduction and problem statement
• 01:26 – Dr. Laura's immediate response ("No cell phone")
• 01:57 – Introduction of the "dumb phone" solution
• 03:14 – Parental role transition discussion
• 04:08 – Setting boundary: phone connected to chores
• 05:43 – Responsibility and consequences highlighted
• 06:31 – Earning/paying for the phone
• 07:03 – Light-hearted closing comments (“He can still be a good kid. And an annoying teenager.”)

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

Dr. Laura speaks in her characteristically direct, no-nonsense style, focusing on practical parenting advice rooted in personal responsibility and preparing teenagers for adulthood. The episode offers a compelling guide for parents grappling with technology boundaries and the tricky territory of fostering independence, emphasizing the importance of gradually letting go and allowing teenagers to make—and learn from—their own choices.

Transcript

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[Podcast Host]

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[Dr. Laura]

me [e-mail] Zach welcome to the program.

[Caller (Father)]

Hello.

[Dr. Laura]

Hi. How can I help you?

[Caller (Father)]

Me and my wife are having a bit of a disagreement and could use some help mediating regarding my 15 year old son and getting him his first cell phone.

[Dr. Laura]

No, no cell phone.

[Podcast Host]

Have you not been keeping up with

[Dr. Laura]

the news and the reports? Kids who have access through cell phones, very bad.

[Podcast Host]

Psychologically very bad.

[Dr. Laura]

Socially very bad. Terms of getting addicted. I mean Zuckerberg is now on, he's being sued and so are other people running all these social media things that suck kids in. All you have to do is go on the net and say is having

[Podcast Host]

a cell phone good or bad for kids? Just do it yourself.

[Dr. Laura]

There's no argument here. Whoever is saying he should have a phone is a bad parent and ignorant about the realities of how this impacts kids. Now there are phones that all they do is make a call, take, take a call. That's a phone.

[Caller (Father)]

That's what we're looking into. Yeah.

[Dr. Laura]

That's the only phone a responsible parent would give their child.

[Caller (Father)]

Yeah. So he was looking to apply for his first job here. So I, I'm the one who thinks he should have a contact number of his own. He's going to be getting hired on call.

[Dr. Laura]

It's a phone that takes calls and makes calls that does not go on the net.

[Caller (Father)]

Okay.

[Dr. Laura]

That's it. That's what he needs.

[Caller (Father)]

And that's, I believe what I got here. It was the dumbest phone they had at Target it was $30.

[Podcast Host]

They call it a dumb phone.

[Dr. Laura]

I love it.

[Caller (Mother)]

Yeah, that's what I. I don't know.

[Caller (Father)]

She. My wife's a stay at home mom. So she says she's here for him. She can be his contact, his phone number for all that.

[Dr. Laura]

I'm sorry. If he has a job and they

[Podcast Host]

need to connect with him, Mommy's got

[Dr. Laura]

to learn that he's going to be a man soon. And she's got to back off from that. Sorry, mom. You're becoming obsolete. A good parent becomes obsolete. A good parent doesn't find more ways to control.

[Caller (Mother)]

Well, this is too.

[Caller (Father)]

She's here with me.

[Caller (Mother)]

Yeah, I. Also from the boy who says that he'll be more responsible with his chores once he has a cell phone. Of course not consistent with it. And he's not.

[Podcast Host]

Well, I have no idea about that. I'm only talking about whether a child

[Dr. Laura]

should have a phone. Only if it's a dumb phone, not if it goes on the net. And if you're still wanting to control him, to make him be some kind of boy, you tell him you're going to trust him. This is his responsibility. If he doesn't keep up his chores, you just make things very clear. If you don't keep up your chores, which are. And you should list them, this, this, this, and this are your chores that need to be done every day. If two days in a row they're not done and you're not in a coma, the cell phone goes.

[Caller (Mother)]

Okay.

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[Dr. Laura]

No.

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[Dr. Laura]

So the choice becomes his. Do I want to keep this phone? I damn well better do my chores. That's how you give control to the kid who's going to grow up into an adult. You need him to take responsibility for that, not Mommy. Our job, believe it or not, is to become obsolete.

[Caller (Mother)]

Right? No, that sounds doable. I guess I also was assuming that he would earn his phone by getting a job and by buying his own and eventually leaving the nest that way. I just didn't want to rob him of the experience of, you know, earning a phone.

[Podcast Host]

I understand what you're saying, but if

[Dr. Laura]

he needs it for a job, then

[Podcast Host]

we have to do this backwards.

[Dr. Laura]

Or the way you can do it is to say, we will loan you the money and you will pay it back $5 a week when you get your job.

[Caller (Father)]

Yeah, we make him purchase it. He probably has enough already to afford it from us, so.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Caller (Father)]

Make him buy it. Okay.

[Caller (Mother)]

Outright.

[Dr. Laura]

I'm with you. I'm with you.

[Caller (Father)]

All right, well, thank you.

[Caller (Mother)]

Well, thanks so much.

[Dr. Laura]

And after talking to you, too, I think he's probably a good kid.

[Caller (Father)]

Yeah, well, thank you. I agree.

[Dr. Laura]

He's a teenager. He can still be a good kid. And an annoying teenager. I mean, those two things can exist at the same time. My number, 1-800-Drama Laura. 1-800-375-2872.

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