Some people already know about this.
Charmaine gave Ray and me a 10 minute presentation on why she should get a cell phone. I do have to say it was rather cute. She dressed up, read us an essay she wrote, did up posters with bullet points and used a pointer as she went from point to point.
I've asked friends and family about this and the yes' and no's are split up evenly down the middle. Ray and I have told her that she needs to wait on our decision because we need to see how things settle with Ray's job situation and with our oldest son starting college at the end of August. If we do decide that Charmaine gets a phone, it won't be until September.
Any parents get their kids cell phones? At what age?
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Kids and cell phonesFollow
No phone for Noah yet. He's only 8 and he's never anywhere that he can't either reach us or be reached by us. He says he wants one to play games on though. /sigh
Charmaine's schedule is going to be beyond busy. Between school, field hockey, her entertainment and modeling auditions/gigs, and social life, I want to have means to get a hold of her without too much of a hassle.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
Thumbelyna Quick Hands wrote:
Charmaine's schedule is going to be beyond busy. Between school, field hockey, her entertainment and modeling auditions/gigs, and social life, I want to have means to get a hold of her without too much of a hassle.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
I'm confused, shouldn't you be with her at these things? You know my answer on this, I say thee nay. Too young for a phone.
Steven must feel so special, getting a cell phone because his younger, better sister is getting one.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
Thumbelyna Quick Hands wrote:
field hockey.
And my little sister and brother both got a phone at 12, when they had to start cycling the 10 mile trip back and forth to high school.
But they did get prepaid and they had and have to pay for their own prepaid.
Not til they can pay for it themselves.
Thumbelyna Quick Hands wrote:
Charmaine's schedule is going to be beyond busy. Between school, field hockey, her entertainment and modeling auditions/gigs, and social life, I want to have means to get a hold of her without too much of a hassle.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
My sister and I have both had cell phones since we were 13. The thing is, we have had so much stuff going on that we were hardly at home. It was just a huge help when something came up to be able to quickly call our parents and ask for a ride, let them know what's going on, etc.
If she's going to be doing a lot of stuff, I really encourage letting her have a cell phone, as well as your son starting High School. It seems like a lot, but it really is worth the money to have a way to get a hold of your kids when you need it. I'm not saying get them an iPhone or anything, just a cheap phone with limited minutes and texting is great. Just something that they can use to stay in contact.
Samira wrote:
Steven must feel so special, getting a cell phone because his younger, better sister is getting one.
Steven was already getting a phone, regardless of Charmaine getting one or not. He's trying out for football and with his social life as well, a phone is needed for him. We were worried with Steven having a phone because of his behavior before, but he's really turned a corner in the last year and has settled down.Kaelesh wrote:
Thumbelyna Quick Hands wrote:
Charmaine's schedule is going to be beyond busy. Between school, field hockey, her entertainment and modeling auditions/gigs, and social life, I want to have means to get a hold of her without too much of a hassle.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
We've talked about when she can use her phone and what her consequences are if she breaks her limits, but I'm still worried.
Not to mention that we'll have to Steven a phone as well with him starting high school.
I'm confused, shouldn't you be with her at these things? You know my answer on this, I say thee nay. Too young for a phone.
Ray and I would be switching off on games, auditions and gigs, but we won't necessarily be at every practice after school. My parents will be with her a lot but for them to use their cell phone is such a hassle.
And there have been more than a few times that when Charmaine was on a field trip and we had to get a hold of her and the chaperone to let them know that we were coming to get Charmaine early because she had an audition, there were issues because the chaperone or teacher wouldn't pick up their phone.
If you get her a phone just watch out for that sexting, I hear it's ruining the lives of many kids or something.
Shaowstrike (Retired - FFXI)
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Cooking/Fishing 100
"We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
— James D. Nicoll
91PUP/BLM 86SMN/BST 76DRK
Cooking/Fishing 100
"We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
— James D. Nicoll
I'd be way more concerned about the distraction of it.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
Shaowstrike wrote:
If you get her a phone just watch out for that sexting, I hear it's ruining the lives of many kids or something.
We actually brought that up during her presentation. And her first comment was "Do I look like Lindsay Lohan?"
Since she's on the fringes of the entertainment industry, we know that she's very much aware of how pictures can be used against her.
Samira:
The distraction part is my concern. She even wrote up a contract on how she'll keep her phone on silent or turned off during school hours and how she understands that she loses her phone for a month if she's caught with it in her hand.
I'll get my daughter a cell phone once she's more independent. Like school and friends and stuff. Hell, she'll be lucky not to get a tracking chip implanted into the back of her neck.
George Carlin wrote:
I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.
If you're technically savvy enough to know how to lock down a cell phone, go for it. Most phones can be blocked so only calls and texts to and from certain numbers are allowed. If it can't be done through the phone, it can usually be done through the carrier. Also, some cell companies have a tracking feature for the phones.
Whether or not you believe in monitoring your children is a personal choice. If it's something that doesn't rub you the wrong way, make sure you get them a smartphone. Doesn't have to be top end or anything but the more advanced it is, the better the chances some type of monitoring system is available for it.
I'm not trying to start an ethics debate here but kids can get themselves into a lot of trouble with a phone, especially if they have free reign of it without any type of monitoring/supervision.
Whether or not you believe in monitoring your children is a personal choice. If it's something that doesn't rub you the wrong way, make sure you get them a smartphone. Doesn't have to be top end or anything but the more advanced it is, the better the chances some type of monitoring system is available for it.
I'm not trying to start an ethics debate here but kids can get themselves into a lot of trouble with a phone, especially if they have free reign of it without any type of monitoring/supervision.
Some cousins of mine used to constantly rack up $1000+ bills on their cells. Not entirely their fault, seeing as the parents weren't paying enough attention, but its that kind of irresponsibility that would have me worried.
Then again, I paid for all that kind of stuff myself as a teenager. Car insurance, internet access, etc.
Then again, I paid for all that kind of stuff myself as a teenager. Car insurance, internet access, etc.
We're on AT&T and I'm going to order the parent limit control feature as well, but I'm just thinking of all other angles on this.
Our oldest one got my old BMW and he's driving that for college and we're paying for insurance as long as he maintains a B average. Once he gets a ticket, in an accident or his GPA drops, he's on his own when it comes to cell phone and car insurance.
Our oldest one got my old BMW and he's driving that for college and we're paying for insurance as long as he maintains a B average. Once he gets a ticket, in an accident or his GPA drops, he's on his own when it comes to cell phone and car insurance.
Not just no, but hell no.
I have worked in Telecom for over 10 years since I left the service. I am with a large nationwide provider in the US and when I started I was in customer service. Nothing beats a $5k 1 month phone bill. They were common in the fall when the kids went off to collage.
Customer service is long behind me, but I have friends there still and I hear the horror stories about huge bill children rack up and the parents call in flipping as it must be our fault not their child's.
When the kid can pay for it them selves then is the right time for them to get a phone.
I have worked in Telecom for over 10 years since I left the service. I am with a large nationwide provider in the US and when I started I was in customer service. Nothing beats a $5k 1 month phone bill. They were common in the fall when the kids went off to collage.
Customer service is long behind me, but I have friends there still and I hear the horror stories about huge bill children rack up and the parents call in flipping as it must be our fault not their child's.
When the kid can pay for it them selves then is the right time for them to get a phone.
"If you ask me, we could do with a little less motivation. The people who are causing all the trouble seem highly motivated to me. Serial killers, stock swindlers, drug dealers, Christian Republicans"
George Carlin.
George Carlin.
Uh, get a top-up card phone or a monthly plan one, then? It's not rocket surgery.
Raise responsible kids?
THAT'S CRAZY TALK
THAT'S CRAZY TALK
Who seriously pays for 5k cellphone bills?
Just as Planned.
Yeah, it also depend son what a "cellphone" means to her. There are "cellphones", which make and receive calls, "feature phones" which can do other things, like texting, and the full-blown "smartphones" which do voice, text, Internet, video, GPS, Facebook, games, quadratic equations, magic tricks, tire balancing and teeth whitening.
publiusvarus wrote:
we all know liberals are well adjusted american citizens who only want what's best for society. While conservatives are evil money grubbing scum who only want to sh*t on the little man and rob the world of its resources.
We're planning to use the most basic phones we can find with AT&T. Calling, texting and that's it. No camera (if we can help it) and no web browser.
It's pretty much impossible to avoid getting a camera these days; even the £20 phone I brought a year back has one.
Over on FB, we suggested the Firefly:
http://www.fireflymobile.com/
It has all the functionality that a younger child needs, plus games and stuff so it's not seen as "just a toy" (unlike the Teddy Fone that is sold in the UK that doesn't even have a screen.)
When she goes to high school, she can graduate up to a "real" phone.
http://www.fireflymobile.com/
It has all the functionality that a younger child needs, plus games and stuff so it's not seen as "just a toy" (unlike the Teddy Fone that is sold in the UK that doesn't even have a screen.)
When she goes to high school, she can graduate up to a "real" phone.
It's still possible to get one without a camera, my AT&T phone from a year or so back didn't have one. In fact, it pretty much only did what Thumb is wanting out of a phone, though it was also a pay-as-you-go phone. I'm sure you can get the same thing on an actual plan.
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