I'm always impressed and amazed by the creative solutions that parents and families come up with to solve problems.

This creative and elegant solution came from a family with whom I once worked.

Their son had his own phone and an answering machine that they had provided. They decided that whenever their son violated his phone privileges, he would put the following on his answering machine or cell phone that said, "Hi, this is John. I've violated my phone privileges and I can't talk to you today. So just leave a message and I'll talk to you tomorrow at school."

This one worked so well that they had to use it only twice.

Another family created solution

Another family has learned just to stop calls at a certain hour of the night. After that time, no non-emergency calls for their child would be accepted. They define an emergency as something that would cause imminent physical or emotional harm.

If you try these solutions and they don't work, or you are saying to yourself, "That would never work in my family!" that could indicate a problem that requires professional assistance.

Some folks may see the phone as a small problem. But I think it's important to manage a small problem well. It's good practice for the bigger issues that may lie ahead.