Recently I read a few blogs regarding cell phones and children. The blogs all differ in terms of some parents allowing them, while others are against them. So what about me? Well I am all for them at the right time and age – which is different with each child.My oldest who is now 14 got her first phone when she was almost 13. At that time she was performing 4 shows a week in Joseph and the Amazing Technocoloured Dreamcoat and was always in rehearsals or performing. During this time I was also on supposed bedrest as I was pregnant with the twins so she was getting rides to and from rehearsals and shows with other cast members. Performances were at night and usually didn’t finish until about 10pm. I wanted her to have a phone so that she could reach me easily if for some reason she was left stranded, she was running late, and to let me know when she was on her way home.
There are however conditions that came with her owning a phone. First of all her phone was a pay as you go – no monthly plan or contracts. The phone was meant to be used light use. She was allowed to text her friends as the cost for this was minimal, but she knew she had to watch how much she was spending on her phone because if her minutes ran out to quickly due to exessive texting she was out of luck and it would be her responsibilty to pay for a new top up card. Did she inform me of how “all” her friends had black berries, Iphones and are on plans? Of course, but I am not budging on that one yet.
My odest son has Aspergers and has huge anxiety issues. He is afraid of dogs,cats and bees, and has been bullied in the past. Although he is almost thirteen up until recently he wouldn’t venture anywhere on his own. I decided last year to get him a phone in hopes that it would possibly ease some of his anxieties about going out more without being so afraid. It did help. Having a form of communication at his finger tips made him feel more in control. He knew that if something happened or he suddenly became frightened he could call me immediately. Recently he began going on short bike rides around the block and a few days ago went to the neighbourhood park! Does he text? Only to a few friends, and like his sister he is aware that abusing that priveldge will come with consequences.
Of course my middle children have started asking when they will get a phone and they have been told not until they are at least in middle school and have displayed enough responsibility. As for my four youngest, well they are happy just playing pretend for now!
Each family situation is different and what works for some families doesn’t work for others. What about your family? Any children have a cell phone yet? What have you found works or doesn’t work for your given situation?
Until next time,
Chantel, momof8crazymonkeys
I have to say that for the past couple of hours i have been hooked by the amazing posts on this site. Keep up the wonderful work.
No blacks really wouldn’t…especially if they are good jokes and not stupid watermelon type jokes… i would love to find a black person with a watermelon in there fridge..not so common. Those are the jokes that make people scream, cuz there not funny or true…
the best adult tube totally free is here : free porn , enjoy.
Also ich glaube das ist eh nur ne Modeerscheinung
iphone support forum
Truly when someone doesn’t know after that its up to other viewers that they will help, so here it happens.
The Zune concentrates on being a Portable Media Player. Not a web browser. Not a game machine. Maybe in the future it’ll do even better in those areas, but for now it’s a fantastic way to organize and listen to your music and videos, and is without peer in that regard. The iPod’s strengths are its web browsing and apps. If those sound more compelling, perhaps it is your best choice.
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Well, I got my daughter a cell phone when she “graduated” from grade 4 and was going off to grade 5 at the middle school. There were a number of factors: she would be riding the bus to and from school, plus I was going back to work full-time and she would be responsible for getting herself home safely after school until I got home from work. So I wanted to be able to text her or have her text me to let me know she was safely home.
She has never once (in two years since then) gone over her minutes (yes, she’s on a plan but it’s only 30 mins/month) and she does text with her friends, but not all that much. They would still much rather see each other face-to-face or even video chat/Skype or talk on the phone, old school.
For her birthday this year I gave her my old iPhone 3 as she desperately wanted a smartphone. As it happens, she can’t browse the internet unless she’s in a WiFi zone (home or school) because of limitations with her carrier (I had to jailbreak the phone to switch carriers when I gave it to her) so data usage has never been an issue either.
In my opinion, technology is a tool that our kids are very comfortable with. As long as they see and treat it as such, I have no concerns letting them use it.
i can’t believe i used to go to school and the only form of communication was one of two payphones if there was an emergency! or making plans…be at the fountain by noon, or else… etc. i can’t imagine my girls (when they get a bit older) leaving home to go out without a cellphone on them. that is a CELLphone, not SMARTphone.
having said that, i think there’s a false sense of security with the phones that just because a child has one they’ll be fine. still need to streetproof them and make them smart. still not sure what i’ll do when she leaves the ‘hood for grade 7.
I am facing this exact issue right now. I an in complete support of the use of phones and technology (not violence oriented video games) at any age, depending upon the boundaries and consistent parental control. In my situation I have a two girls 6 and 8 years old. They ride the bus to and from school for totalling 11/2 hours a day on a major Canadian rural highway. They are uniligual (I am bilingual). They are honest with their problems and are highly communicative with me and my partner. I trust my parenting in these matters and my children’s relationship with me. I believe providing a smartphone now will help alleviate problems later. So I have bought another Iphone, for them to share, and put it on my plan. It will be my phone, not their’s. I will control the password, the My 10, all the parameters. I will allow the purchase only educational apps. I am an FSL teacher and my kids are already at a disadvantage in the work world because they do not have a second language. So it is my goal to provide them the language of technology to help prepare them in this growing technological world. My next purchase will be an Ipad.
I think this is a really important issue. I am not quite there yet, although my 10 1/2 year old would like one. She is definitely not ready for that responsibility. I think the age of the child is really dependant on the child’s maturity and the reason that the child NEEDS a phone. I don’t buy into the….my friends have this excuse. My thinking is always, they are not my kid and my concern is always what is best for my child.
Chantel, I agree with you on holding off on the iphone, blackberry, etc. And I have to say, I am not sure how parents afford that and why exactly children need such a fancy phone. I also feel or fear that with all the texting that kids do (although, I am very guilty of this) & lets face it that is pretty much what they do on their phones we/they are losing the art of conversation, which in my opinion is very sad. I think technology is good, but I think too soon is too much.
Looking forward to seeing other comments on this issue.
Nicole :0)