Community› The Bump Message Boards› School-Aged Children
School-Aged Children
New Discussion

DD asking for a cell phone

fauxshelleyfauxshelley member
in School-Aged Children

My DD will be 10 in Nov and she wants a cell phone for her birthday.  She doesn't talk on the phone that much and she is a very responsible child, makes straight A's, and is really sweet and respectful.  I am against her having a cell phone however, as I think she is too young and am unsure of the costs involved.  This financial burden would fall on me entirely, as I can hardly get her father to pay child support.  She said all of the other 4th grade girls have one (Riiiiiiight). 

When did you (or will you) get your child a cell phone?

Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
Report Reply to Post

Re: DD asking for a cell phone

  • Temp356619000002780Temp356619000002780
    MS is 10 and he got his first phone when he was 8 maybe 7. All his friends have one! I see nothing worng with it, because I can keep track of who he calls for how long who and what he text. He has been real good about it! Never lost his phone. I bought him a new one not too long ago. For the record I am very strict. He isn't allowed to ride his bike to the gas station that I can see from my yard!
    Report Reply
  • DandelionMomDandelionMom

    The kids around here are usually 12-13 when they get a phone.  That's probably what we'll do too. 

    DD is 9.5 and there is no reason for her to have a phone yet.  She doesn't babysit, her extra curriculars all have easy drop-off/pick-up schedules, and the school office has a phone for kids to use if necessary. 

    .
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • ValAndRyanValAndRyan
    I am with you on the fact that it is still too young however the convenience of it is heaven. With that said though, I did get one for DS when he turned 11 and felt I held off as long as I could. It was really for the fact that with a little one at home now, I needed to get to him on the phone rather than walking the neighborhood. We are strict, he can only text and call and we do look at his phone whenever we want (even told him we can get a list of his texts from the company). He's been very responsible and everything has been good so far and it is peace of mind too.
    Report Reply
  • fauxshelleyfauxshelley member
    Yeah, I don't know what my point was there, I just tend to go on and on about her sometimes. Embarrassed  I guess I was saying that I had no concerns about her being irresponsible with a cell phone.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
    Report Reply
  • SammysuSammysu

    DD had a cell phone at 10 and kept losing it. Then we decided to wait until she can act more responsibly. She got another one last year and was doing really good with it until we found some not so kid friendly texts in her phone and during school hours. So, she got it taken away and will not be getting it back until we need her to have one again. She told us she thought she could act a certain way or do certain things because she was in honor roll and in advanced classes. So it does go to show that even if they are smart cookies, that doesnt always help. But every child is different and it doesnt hurt to try it out. Just make sure you can monitor the minutes and calls.

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
    Report Reply
  • Temp356619000002780Temp356619000002780

    imageMrs*MichelleB:
    My oldest is a very mature 12. I still don't think he needs a cell though. He's always around a phone... school / friends/ home ect. No need for it. The girls I teach bring them to practice at ages of 7+. They are a very big distraction at that age.

    They are a big distraction at any age. The key thing is to remember is their a need for it. MS got his because, when he goes to his dad's house things happen that scared him and I want him to be able to get a hold of me. His dad wouldn't let him call me and now has no excuse. I don't abuse it, but I want to be sure my son can get a hold of me or his step dad if needed. I did however find some texts from his friend that I was not too happy to see. His frined using the F-word and other words. I was happy to see MS call him stupid. I went up to his friend and told him if I saw text like that again from him that I would show them to his dad. It stopped!

    Report Reply
  • Emiliana7Emiliana7

    Lurker comimg out to play (my DD is only 2.5) but I like to lurk here because I do have nieces that are 11 and 14 and like to get perspective on/for them.

    Anyway, my DD (yes, the 2.5 yr old) has an iPhone. (insert laugh track here)

     Its not on the calling plan however! We DL-ed toddler/pre-school apps (think flashcards, songs, etc) for her and she likes to use the camera feature.

    And the only real reason she has it is that DH and I upgraded our phones to the 3GS's and DD got DH's old iPhone.

    I just thought I would tell my story for everyone to have a little laugh at a 2.5 yr old having an iPhone. I take it to my Dr's appts to help keep her entertained while I have my NSTs.

    In reality, if it wasn't for the above situation our kids won't get 'real' phones until DH and I feel they are needed. I am thinking that won't be until 4th-5th grade- depending on what activities they are doing and if they are being dropped off while we go do something else. And we will be those parents who look through the phone for texts, pics, etc and to moniter really well how the phones are used.

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"