• Telephones are a useful form of communication.telephone image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
  
  In the age of e-mailing and texting, you might question why a phone is needed. Whether it's a cell or a land line, the phone is still one of the leading forms of communication with adults. According to Digitaltrends.com, in 2009 one in five households did not have a land line. However, a fifth of US households relied solely on cell phones. While one form of the telephone dropped in use, another increased, indicating there is still a need.
  
  

Child Safety

• Phones are convenient if practice was canceled.soccer image by Sandra Henderson from Fotolia.com
  
  If you ask a kid why he wants a cell phone, the reasons are probably because it looks cool or everyone else has one. A parent's reasoning for the phone is a little different. Parents want to keep in communication with their child to know if he is going to be late or visiting a friend's house. For a child of driving age, a phone is a convenient way to get help if the car breaks down. Even for younger children, the benefits are great if they go to childcare in the afternoons. In addition to emergency use, phones are also practical and convenient. Your child can call if basketball practice is running late or if baseball practice was canceled and he needs a ride home.
  
  

If It Ain't Broke...

• Many older folks prefer the use of a telephone.old woman image by Alexander Raths from Fotolia.com
  
  Many people, especially older folks, still have land lines in their house because it's a cheap and effective way to speak with people. Many elderly are on fixed incomes so therefore do not want to shell out money for computers and laptops for e-mail or purchase the latest gadget to text. Another reason traditional phones are efficient is because unlike younger people, the elderly do not necessarily want to be available all the time. Those elderly folks that have computers in the house due to younger residents still prefer to use the trusted telephone rather than e-mail because of simplicity and convenience.
  
  

Bill Collectors

• Land lines are one way to avoid solicitors and bill collectors.credit card image by feisty from Fotolia.com
  
  If you ask people why they still have a land line in their home, one of the answers you might get is because it's used for one purpose---to ward off bill collectors and solicitors. While people use other methods of communication such as e-mail and texting to chat with friends and family, the home phone number is given when filling out credit applications or other financial transactions. The land line is useful when avoiding bill collectors and shunning someone trying to solicit donations.