I’ve never been a fan of cell phones, even before they took pictures/movies. What finally put me over the edge was at my Grandmothers house last Christmas. My two nephews, who are about 7ish, were sitting about six feet from each other, texting each other, and they did it for a long time. It didn’t make me postal at the time, but it did plant a seed. :-P
We have become a world where not only do we not interact, but we don’t even look up to see the world anymore. I do have a cell phone, but when I leave the house it stays at home. If someone needs me, they can find me. :)
As for your own cell phone rule, I respect you for it. I would be the same way if my kids weren’t already out of high school.
Mine are grown as well. 2004 sounds recent, but the truth is that my 20 year old son was only 12 at the time. It's not fair how much faster time seems to move the fewer years we have left.
I guess I can say that I personally have had a cell phone since the 20th century. I can't imagine being without it anymore. Cell phones are as much a part of my life today as automobiles were to my parents, although I did not have a cell as child, and they did not have automobiles (in the family) as children.