Episode 88: End the FOMO with this upgraded dumb smartphone: The new Pinwheel Plus

The Be THAT Mom Movement Podcast: Protecting kids in a digital world

Avoid the screen zombie struggles with this healthy tech option, the newest dumb smartphone, the Pinwheel Plus. Use code BETHATMOMTEN for a discount!

Download my free Parenting in the Digital Age Resource guide! CLICK HERE or go to this link: https://www.dollydenson.com/digitalresources and be sure to opt in to my email list to be the first to know when my Be THAT Mom Movement Method course, your toolkit and roadmap for all things digital when raising kids today, is released!!

Check out the DIGITAL WELLNESS SUMMIT: GRAB YOUR ALL ACCESS PASS HERE!!

DIGITAL RESOURCE TOOLS:

BARK subscription CLICK HERE (Use code BETHATMOM for 20% off & 7 day free trial)

MSpy CLICK HERE (Use code BTMOM10 for a 10% discount on the 3 month package!)

Pinwheel phone CLICK HERE (use code BETHATMOMTEN for a discount!)

Gabb phone CLICK HERE (use code BETHATMOM for a discount)

Tick Talk Watch CLICK HERE (use code BETHATMOM for a discount)

Covenant Eyes CLICK HERE (use code BETHATMOM for a discount)

Gryphon Router CLICK HERE

Circle Plus CLICK HERE (click link for $20 off)

Bark Home CLICK here!!

Stay connected with the Be THAT Mom Movement via our channel in the Telegram app: Subscribe HERE or search for @bethatmom on the app. Or on social media via instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_bethatmommovement

MOM WELLNESS TOOLS:

Fit Club info: Being THAT mom isn’t easy, so prioritizing our own wellness is so important! Get tips and tools plus support to help you simplify and align your health/wellness through fitness & nutrition tools that will get you results and to be strong and energetic for your kids! For more info on these tools & the Align Your Life Fit Club, CLICK HERE!!

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Other supplements I highly recommend

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Paleovalley CLICK HERE (use code PVFRIEND15 for a discount)

My Soul CBD CLICK HERE (use code BETHATMOM for a discount)

MitoLife supplements CLICK HERE (use code BETHATMOM for a discount)

Magnesium Bicarbonate supplement by LIVE PRISTINE (the majority are deficient in magnesium AND if taking Magnesium, are taking a form other than this that is not bioavailable and readily absorbed!) Use code BETHATOM for a discount! CLICK HERE

MOM HUSTLE TOOLS:

Kajabi: The best platform to run your business with all the things in one place! CLICK HERE

Podcast Pro University CLICK HERE to learn more about the top podcast course, created by Stef Gass, that will help you take that idea and passion to the next level with a podcast of your own!

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Full Transcription:

Speaker 1 (00:00):

So the dumb smartphone has to be one of the greatest gifts for parents as we move through giving our kids digital things. Well, today we're going to talk about an expansion of one of my favorite dumb smartphones that is out on the market today and why this may be a great next step for you. Stay tuned.

Speaker 2 (00:23):

Welcome to your source for tips, tools, and support to help you be that mom that is tuned in and proactive for yourself, your family, and for the wild ride of raising kids in this digital age, inspired by a mother's love with a relatable real life. Proud to be that mom flair. This is the bead that mom movement with your host, Dolly Denson.

Speaker 1 (00:48):

Holy moly. Check this out. If you were a mom that is looking to give your kiddo a phone, but you don't want to open up the world of the smartphone to them yet, check out the pinwheel phone. The pinwheel phone is the latest and greatest for dumb smartphones. It gives you absolute control over what they do and who they can contact, and we'll help them to develop healthy habits around using a phone, check out [e-mail] use code be that mom 10 for a discount. So if you've listened to my podcast for even a couple of episodes, you've probably heard me talk about the dumb smartphones and the pinwheel phone, because I love it so much, but pinwheel has been such a remarkable invention creation, whatever you want to call it. It was created by a dad who had the idea of making a phone that put more control into the hands of parents.

Speaker 1 (01:44):

And I will tell you as a parent who came to be a parent of a kid in the newly emerging digital things in like the late 2007 to 2010 time when social media and the smartphone and all the things were emerging, this is a gift for parents today. And I hope that more parents will choose to go this route versus just doing the smartphone from the get-go as time goes on, as you probably have heard me say, I did everything kind of haphazardly and just uninformed about the influence and impact. And a lot of it, I think was just unknown at the time because everything was so new and just emerging. But as time has gone on many of us parents that are now in this space of helping you to navigate this were all the parents that went through this new realm of parenting, just basically with no guidance, no tools, no nothing.

Speaker 1 (02:46):

And so when I discovered when I was first, you know, trying to figure out how to reroute what we were doing, the first thing I discovered was bark. And for someone who's already given a smartphone, that is the best option out there. If you live in the north American continent and that area, if you're another part of the world, bark is likely not available for you yet. So in that case, something like inspi would be a good option. There are a couple other things out there that are good, that are available in other countries, but that was such a gift. When I discovered that it helped me to sleep again at night and I don't, I'm not exaggerating or kidding with that. Like a seriously laid up late at night, kind of waking up in a panic. If I did fall asleep, wondering what I was missing, what things I had missed, because I'd missed so much already.

Speaker 1 (03:34):

And didn't realize what was going on until we reached a, like a, a crossroads where we were like, we're going to go down two different trajectories of life. And it's going to be hard to come back from those if we don't make a serious change or pivot in this moment in time. So then I came across the dumb smartphone options and PennWell was the second one that I came across pinwheel. And what I love about it is that it basically has an operating system that you control. Like they they've set it up to where it there's a portal and an operating system that they own. And you control how that is used. So you determine which apps are allowed to be accessed by your kid. You determine when those can be accessed by your kid. And then you have a portal that shows you their activity shows you their text messages shows you everything you are in complete control, and then you are able to unlock more of that as you see them interact with the digital things.

Speaker 1 (04:40):

And the best part of it is that it keeps this as a tool instead of, I don't know what a comparable word to say, but with smartphones, it's almost like the smartphone controls them. You know, there's an addictive quality there, and it's very influential in pulling you in. I mean, I noticed it with myself with my own phone where I have trouble putting it down at night. And I know that without like blue blocker glasses, the blue light on there is, is affecting me at night and keeping me up at night and affecting, you know, the normal sleep cycle and all of that. So for that in the hands of kids is even more impactful. So what PennWell has done is set that up to where you are in control and, but still gives them the option to start interacting with it, learning how to use it, using it responsibly and being able to put it away.

Speaker 1 (05:35):

And if you listen to my episode from last week, when I talked about giving a digital gift for Christmas or a non-digital gift and the different things with that, I mentioned my best friend and her kids. She's got twin girls that are middle school age. And what I have seen with them is that I'm, like I said, in that episode, she has watched me, my kids are older than hers. And so she has watched me walk through this new realm of parenting, really not knowing what I'm doing and kind of doing everything the harder way. And so she's made decisions to first give them the pinwheel phone. She first gave them a gab phone and now the pinwheel phone. And the funny thing is that one of them went to some type of event at school and lost the phone. And, you know, hasn't been real concerned about it.

Speaker 1 (06:24):

And, you know, while that's not a good thing that she lost the phone, there's been other instances where she would misplace it at home and just not know where it was like, how many kids do you know that have had smartphones that don't know where their phone is. It's like attached at the hip and they absolutely know where it is or they go into a panic. Right? So what I've seen with her kids is they're not attached in that way to it. It is something that they use, you know, but it just doesn't have that control factor when it comes to them, knowing where it is and, you know, catching up with the latest thing. Now, there is a level of the fear of missing out there that I see in them and kind of, you know, being a little bit irritated with her because she won't give them the fancier phone or the social media while their friends do have that.

Speaker 1 (07:09):

Some of them do, but that's just, you know, a decision that we each have to make on our own as to how we want to navigate that. But she has seen firsthand and she knows everything about what we have gone through with my kids. And so she is very adamant that she's not moving forward to a smartphone right now. And right now I believe they're 13 or getting ready to turn 13. So they're going into those really, really what I call the most difficult years of raising kids is, you know, those middle school and early high school years. So, so there is that level, but what PennWell has done is such an amazing thing, going back to the pinwheel plus. So what this new phone is going to be, how it is upgraded from the other ones. So it's kind of like their premium version of their phone.

Speaker 1 (08:00):

It's going to be 5g capable and it's carrier unlocked so you can use any carrier for it. And then it has a larger display. It's a six and a half inch display. It has a camera, it says 48 M P I know the old version is like 15 MP. I don't know what NP stands for, but basically a better camera going to take better pictures. And then this one also has a fingerprint unlock and it has 64 gigabytes of memory. I believe the old model, let me check this out. The old model had a 5.7 inch display, 13 MP camera, and then 64 gigabytes of memory. And so what you do when you purchase a pinwheel phone is you purchase the phone and they, so they have a pinwheel slim, a pinwheel rugged, and now they're going to have this pinwheel plus, and then you pay a monthly fee for a pinwheel subscription, which is basically having access to their operating system and the parent portal, and then whatever fee you would pay for your carrier.

Speaker 1 (09:02):

So yes, there are fees that are monthly, but if you consider the alternative, I think that this is such a major great option. So the two older versions, the slim and the rugged were not compatible with all major carriers, T and T and Verizon would not carry the phones, but this new phone will be all major carriers. So the PennWell plus right now is on pre-order and then it will start shipping as of November 22nd. And the cost is $329. I don't know if I just said that for the phone. So I know that when you look at that, you're probably like, holy cow, that's a lot of money, but think about getting them an Android or a, an iPhone, those most likely will be more expensive. And you know, then it has all these other inherent things that come along. So this is just like, if you've listened to me for a while, you've probably tired of hearing me say this, but this is like you putting floaties on your kid and teaching them how to swim before throwing them in a swimming pool.

Speaker 1 (10:05):

This is just a way for you to be able to give them a guide and really have all of the control within your realm versus giving them a smartphone and anything and everything being available at their fingertips. Any knowledge you may be not don't think is appropriate for them yet. They can find anywhere. They say that pornography is a couple clicks away. Anytime a child is on the internet and then predators have an access to them. The other thing with the pinwheel is that any apps that are allowed to be on the pinwheel as an option for you to enable, and it's always the end line there is that it is all still up to you, which ones your kid has access to. All of those, go through an approval process with a group of individuals that includes therapist and professionals in the area to determine whether or not it is an app that they want to allow on the phone.

Speaker 1 (11:03):

And a big factor that plays into that is whether or not it is able to access the internet or for someone else to get in and access your kid. And then the addictive qualities of things, or if they're shown like ads in different things like that, then it's not allowed. So it really is kind of a safe space for you to start with your kid in terms of what they use and how they use it. And then the last thing that I want to say about that before we wrap up the short episode is that the beauty of some of these tools that are out there and especially the company pinwheel, is that the digital world is not static and like never changes. We know that it's always changing, right? And so just like, I don't know if you agree with this, but I think it's a great thing that like you buy an apple phone and they're continually updating the operating system and giving you new features.

Speaker 1 (12:00):

So to an extent, technology keeps up and you don't have to replace your phone every year, right? Like used to you remember before the smartphones came along, you buy a phone and then, you know, you'd have to buy a new one before too long, or when you go and you buy a computer and they say, as soon as you buy the computer, it's obsolete. Those types of things, like all of the digital things are continually evolving. And so with pinwheel, they are continually evaluating and updating their operating system, their features and all of that. So when you get a pinwheel phone, you will get a pinwheel update. And let me look to see here, you get a PennWell update. I'm trying to see how often I get them. I get them at least once a month, but maybe every couple of weeks or even weekly.

Speaker 1 (12:50):

And they have themes that they're improving. Like I have an email here from November 5th and it talks about they are improving the CA in the caregiver portal for the maps and the locations to load faster so that you can track where your kid or the phone is. And then they have life 360 option on the phone. And so they fixed some issues with that. They fixed something with the messenger that was not loading. And then they improved some of the setup features that they have to help you set up. So I think that is the most beautiful thing when it comes to all of the digital things, is that these things are evolving and changing. You're not going to buy this. And then it just be this thing, you know, that never changes. They will listen to you. They will add things to it. They will be constantly tweaking it in order to make sure that it is what it needs to be in order to keep your kids safe and to help you navigate this whole digital thing with your kids.

Speaker 1 (13:54):

So I think that's a beautiful thing when it comes to all of this digital stuff, because we know that it is always changing and evolving, but the greatest thing about the PennWell phone is just that you have control, and it is a tool for your kid, and it will help guide you into the big, deep blue sea of all of the digital things without just throwing them in the deep end and not giving them a floaty or anything else. As far as, you know, here you go, here's your digital device. Good luck with that. Hopefully I'll notice if you're having any issues with it. Maybe I won't, because I'll be too busy with my life and all of that type stuff, if you know what I mean. So anyways, I hope you found this helpful. I think I say that at the end of every episode, but check out the link for the pinwheel plus and can pre-order and then they'll start shipping as of November 22nd.

Speaker 1 (14:43):

So you'll have it for that Christmas gift. And I don't think I mentioned it already, but my discount code is be that mom 10, if you use my link, it should automatically put that in. But if it doesn't, it's all a letters, no numbers. So be that mom and then T N it used to be that there was a dash between B that mom and 10, they have taken that dash out. So hopefully that link works for you. If you have any issue with it, give me a [e-mail], but I believe that should work for you. Be that mom 10 and use my link that's in the show notes and to make sure that you grab it at a discount. Okay. All right. Thanks so much for tuning in, and I'll chat with you next time.

Speaker 2 (15:23):

Thanks for tuning in being that mom isn't easy, but together we can be that mom's strong. Don't forget to leave a review, connect on social and join Dolly's free community till next time

Speaker 1 (15:37):

Either before you go, I want to just give you a heads up on something. When things have been hardest in my role as a mom, the thing that was so very helpful for me was having a routine to take care of myself each day. I know that this whole thing around raising kids in a digital world is so very overwhelming. But if you have a place where you are taking care of yourself every single day with a simple routine that works despite where you are or what your schedule is, you will be able to be more present for your family and handle all of the ups and downs of this most amazing role that we could ever play in this world. So connect with me and let's get you connected to fitness and nutrition tools made by experts that will help you simplify this and then connect you with my fit club community that will support you, guide you and give you momentum and motivation to show up everyday, take care of yourself first, so that you could be better present for our digital native.