Did you cut the cord? You aren’t alone

Majority of U.S. households no longer have a landline

Do you have a landline in your home? If so, you are now officially in the minority.

According to a new report, the number of cellphoneonly households, at 51 percent, has surpassed households with both a landline and a cell phone. My family made this move years ago. It was in part an economic decision — why pay for something we rarely used?

And, we noticed that if our friends and family wanted to call us, they called our cell phones. At some point, we stopped getting personal calls on that house line, and it became home for telemarketers and surveys.

I had no warm, fuzzy memories tied to my house phone. But when my mom got rid of hers a year or two later, I was surprised how sad I was.

Maybe it’s because it was the first number I ever knew, or because it was a touchstone to home — either way, it was no longer a part of my family. But today, years later, I still know that number. For that matter, I still know my grandparents’ number too, despite the fact that they passed away years ago.

Today, while I know my husband’s phone number, I have no idea what my mom’s cell number is — it’s simply stored in my phone.

In fact, because of my cell phone and its internet access, I no longer keep a phone book in my home, either. If I need to know an address or

DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?

phone number, I hop online.

It is weird to think how different children’s experiences with phones will be compared to what we experienced. Today’s kids never will have to deal with a phone cord that is too short, or the lack of privacy from being tethered to a specific outlet in the wall in the living room.

Children will never have to memorize everyone’s number like we once did, nor will they need a separate little address book with phone numbers.

We are sitting in the midst of a technological revolution, and it’s fascinating to think how much has changed in such a short period of time, and what advances could still lie ahead.

What are your thoughts, Yuma? Have you cut ties with your landline, or do you still have one? Let me know! Send me a Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com!