Cell phones for tweens and teens
Hi,
My daughter is 13 and has been wanting a cell phone for a couple years now. My husband and I have been saying she doesn't need one and won't be getting one til she starts driving and needs one for safety etc. but now it seems that I keep seeing kids her age and even younger with cell phones. I"m beginnging to wonder if we are "depriving" her (if you can call it that). Anyways, I"m just looking for opinions and info on how many of your kids and their friends around 13 have cell phones. Is this the way it is these days- that most kids have cell phones? Let me know, I"m interested in anything anyone has to say!
Thanks
Carol
Answers:
Hey,I am a mom of two.I have a son and daughter and my daughter is 11 going on 12 soon.Me and her father also said no phone untill highschool but gave in and got her one.I am glad we did and have no regrets.I like being able to call her at anytime and know shes ok and safe.Not long ago she was at a friends house and started feeling sick and wanted to come home.For her to ask the father of the girl she was staying with to call home was a big deal because her arm can be falling off and she wont want to come home lol...Anyway this girls father said its to late go to bed your just tired my daughter insisted on calling and the dad got mad and shouted no...my daughter did not even know I had put her cell in her bag before running out the door she was still new to having it and always forgot it. she went into the bag to get her night clothes and saw the phone and called home crying.I got her father to get her and she was running almost 103 fever.Needless to say I was angry and she is not going back there again.My point is I liked knowing she could call me at anytime anyplace for any reason.I always tell her she can use that phone to call me anytime something like that comes up.Now a days I think its so important to know where your kids are at all times.And the kids think its cool to have and they show it off and think there big but to us its a safety thing and Im very happy she has it.I feel safer knowing she can call me anytime she wants.And she does! We went with the plan where each month shes allowed a certain allowance of minutes.When she reaches those minutes the phone shuts down untill the next due date where they take the money out of my bank account.Its only thirty something dollars and she has more than enough minutes each month to use.I tell her when home use the home phone and when out use the cell and try to use it when you really need to, not to call someone to say what are you doing?lol..Even though Im sure she does that too!!I think its a good thing also learning to save enough minutes and teaching responsiblity in a lot of ways.So I know not all parents agree its ok for young girls and boys to get a cell but for us it was right and I am very happy we did it, now when my son gets older he will get one too.He already asks how come he doesn't have one like everyone else in the family and hes only four.lol...So went down and got a little fake one lol...So hes happy at least for now!!!Sorry for rambling on let me know what you decide to do!!
Answers:
you know what teenagers are like - they have to be like their friends.
My eldest (11) has a phone, not a top of the range one. Its a small comfort when they are gaining independance, you can keep in touch to find out they are ok. Every one of her friends in her clas have one. My youngest doesn't have one (9) although many in her class do. She doesnt go out alone yet so I don't see the need.
I wouldn't get my daughter an expensive one as I didn't want her to be a target for it to be stolen. Also she has a pay as you go phone - no contract - with only a small amount of money on at any one time. Its great, she does extra chores when she needs it topped up.
Answers:
Haha i love coming to the parenting section. :]
Cell phones are perfect. If your kid wants to go somewhere, you can ALWAYS check up on them. if you need them. theyre a phone call away. not to mention if theyre talkers they wont tie up your phone line.
my mom would have shot me by now if it wasnt for my cellphone.
Answers:
I have to agree with everyone else. My daughter got one at 11. I too said "no cellphones untl your atleast 15". But after needing to get in touch with her several times while she was away, I decided to get her one. That is a very young age for a cell phone, I realize that. But times have changed so much from when I was a kid, that its almost impossible to not keep up. At first, we got her a prepaid phone. She had to do chores and save her money and buy her own minutes. I was trying to teach the value of a dollar to her and trying to prepare her for paying bills in the future, responsibility etc..... That way, if she didnt do her chores, she didnt get paid. Which meant no minutes for the phone. Its also a good way to discipline. Just take it away!! That killed her. All her friends had theirs but she didnt. Later we put her on our plan for like $10 or so. She just pays us her "part" of the bill
My daughter is 13 and has been wanting a cell phone for a couple years now. My husband and I have been saying she doesn't need one and won't be getting one til she starts driving and needs one for safety etc. but now it seems that I keep seeing kids her age and even younger with cell phones. I"m beginnging to wonder if we are "depriving" her (if you can call it that). Anyways, I"m just looking for opinions and info on how many of your kids and their friends around 13 have cell phones. Is this the way it is these days- that most kids have cell phones? Let me know, I"m interested in anything anyone has to say!
Thanks
Carol
Answers:
Hey,I am a mom of two.I have a son and daughter and my daughter is 11 going on 12 soon.Me and her father also said no phone untill highschool but gave in and got her one.I am glad we did and have no regrets.I like being able to call her at anytime and know shes ok and safe.Not long ago she was at a friends house and started feeling sick and wanted to come home.For her to ask the father of the girl she was staying with to call home was a big deal because her arm can be falling off and she wont want to come home lol...Anyway this girls father said its to late go to bed your just tired my daughter insisted on calling and the dad got mad and shouted no...my daughter did not even know I had put her cell in her bag before running out the door she was still new to having it and always forgot it. she went into the bag to get her night clothes and saw the phone and called home crying.I got her father to get her and she was running almost 103 fever.Needless to say I was angry and she is not going back there again.My point is I liked knowing she could call me at anytime anyplace for any reason.I always tell her she can use that phone to call me anytime something like that comes up.Now a days I think its so important to know where your kids are at all times.And the kids think its cool to have and they show it off and think there big but to us its a safety thing and Im very happy she has it.I feel safer knowing she can call me anytime she wants.And she does! We went with the plan where each month shes allowed a certain allowance of minutes.When she reaches those minutes the phone shuts down untill the next due date where they take the money out of my bank account.Its only thirty something dollars and she has more than enough minutes each month to use.I tell her when home use the home phone and when out use the cell and try to use it when you really need to, not to call someone to say what are you doing?lol..Even though Im sure she does that too!!I think its a good thing also learning to save enough minutes and teaching responsiblity in a lot of ways.So I know not all parents agree its ok for young girls and boys to get a cell but for us it was right and I am very happy we did it, now when my son gets older he will get one too.He already asks how come he doesn't have one like everyone else in the family and hes only four.lol...So went down and got a little fake one lol...So hes happy at least for now!!!Sorry for rambling on let me know what you decide to do!!
Answers:
you know what teenagers are like - they have to be like their friends.
My eldest (11) has a phone, not a top of the range one. Its a small comfort when they are gaining independance, you can keep in touch to find out they are ok. Every one of her friends in her clas have one. My youngest doesn't have one (9) although many in her class do. She doesnt go out alone yet so I don't see the need.
I wouldn't get my daughter an expensive one as I didn't want her to be a target for it to be stolen. Also she has a pay as you go phone - no contract - with only a small amount of money on at any one time. Its great, she does extra chores when she needs it topped up.
Answers:
Haha i love coming to the parenting section. :]
Cell phones are perfect. If your kid wants to go somewhere, you can ALWAYS check up on them. if you need them. theyre a phone call away. not to mention if theyre talkers they wont tie up your phone line.
my mom would have shot me by now if it wasnt for my cellphone.
Answers:
I have to agree with everyone else. My daughter got one at 11. I too said "no cellphones untl your atleast 15". But after needing to get in touch with her several times while she was away, I decided to get her one. That is a very young age for a cell phone, I realize that. But times have changed so much from when I was a kid, that its almost impossible to not keep up. At first, we got her a prepaid phone. She had to do chores and save her money and buy her own minutes. I was trying to teach the value of a dollar to her and trying to prepare her for paying bills in the future, responsibility etc..... That way, if she didnt do her chores, she didnt get paid. Which meant no minutes for the phone. Its also a good way to discipline. Just take it away!! That killed her. All her friends had theirs but she didnt. Later we put her on our plan for like $10 or so. She just pays us her "part" of the bill