Confession: I have never been an earpiece kind of gal. I still snicker at those people who walk down the street looking like they’re talking to themselves. But ever since the announcement last week about the potential hazard of cell phone radiation, I figured better safe than…not safe.

I finally bit the bullet and activated my Bluetooth headset–a Jabra Stone that, I might add, is beyond awesome.

I cannot possibly be the only mama out there who simply never got on the Bluetooth train yet. If you haven’t yet figured out why you need it, maybe this will help.

1. Less radiation
Because of the non-ionizing radiation that’s emitted from the phone towards your head, recommendations are that you keep an iPhone more than 5/8″ from your body, and a Blackberry about an inch away. Easiest way to do that is to speak through a headset which provides more privacy (and less shouting) than a speakerphone.

2. No wires
A wire for me is just one more thing that gets tangled in my bag until it finally falls apart. I much prefer to have an unobtrusive earpiece on than a giant headphone wire tethering me to my phone.

3. Safer driving
We all know by know that texting while driving is pretty much a terrible idea, and that talking at all without a hands-free device is illegal in more and more states every year. While it’s still best not to talk and drive, if you have to answer a phone while you’re stuck in traffic, better to do it using a Bluetooth headset.

4. Hands-free is liberating!
Every parent has wished for another hand at some point or another. Here it is.