Comments on: Parenting Dilemma #8754: Cell Phones

By: toni

toni — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:29:16 +0000

i think we should be friends…i’ve gone on the exact same rant multiple times…my 13 year old does have a cell phone…the best thing about it, you ask? i can bring her to her knees at the mere thought of taking it away…she’s in my control…i’ll take it, anyway i can get it…

By: ChristineMM

ChristineMM — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:52:00 +0000

My public school had a pay phone.
My public school had a “late bus” for those who missed the bus and had no choice or for kids whose mothers refused to pick them up, to take them home.

Teachers and leaders who take care of my kids at drop off events have land lines or cell phones should they need me.

If they need a cell phone other kids have one they can borrow in an emergency.

I’d argue that kids don’t need cell phones at all. This is a fad, it’s an indulgence, it’s about peer pressure and fitting in.

My kids are homeschooled and they want one to be like some of their friends (in school and homeschooled) but they say they don’t know what they’d do with them. Only my older has phone conversations w friends and uses a land line and talks when he’s home. That is good enough.

My nieces in public school say the peer pressure is terrible (gr 6 and 7 in middle school that is gr 5-8). THey say though you are nobody unless you have a Blackberry, the latest version, or an iphone. Everyone else is a loser and gets made fun of, they say.

By: Candance

Candance — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:38:04 +0000

Hey Lady, I gave you an award over at my place cause I just love ya!!

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:36:38 +0000

We have one cell that both our kids share. They don’t carry it everywhere. It’s for when they’re out playing in the neighborhood or at a friend’s. So far, it’s worked out well. They have it when they need it. So far, although this may change, the plan is to get them thier own cells when they start driving.

By: DeNae

DeNae — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:57:33 +0000

I gave my 7th grader a cell phone as an electronic leash to keep him from forgetting his name or address or what time of day constitutes “night” after his ADD medication wore off in the evenings. It’s great for those games of “hotter / colder” we often have to play just to get him home for dinner.

“Where are you now, Jake? Well, what state name is on the license plates? OK, good. You’re in Arizona. Now, keep walking until you see a ‘Welcome to Nevada’ sign…”

Of course, he has since destroyed both his – by the inexplicable method of spraypainting it black, and mine, by tossing it into a bowl of tomato soup.

Damn cell phones.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:36:06 +0000

My 12 year-old 7th grader currently does NOT have a cell phone. He swears I am the last parent holding out. I see no need for him to have one. If he misses the bus, we have real live neighbors that we have formed a *gasp* relationship with and he can call me from a land line. We plan ahead. We have contingency plans. He knows my number and with the plethora of unlimited plan friends surrounding him, can actually call me for convenience when he needs to. But that’s it, convenience. I am not willing to put $100 a month on this convenience. Fear not, Lela. You are not alone.

By: Amber

Amber — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:57:57 +0000

You could get one of the phones that only allows them to call certain numbers. No idea what they’re called (or what service they run off of), but at least they can’t run up a huge bill by accident. I think they have parental monitoring options too…like for what texts are sent, etc.

By: Brandi

Brandi — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:16:22 +0000

I still remember the day I learned pay phones cost 35 cents. My quarter wasn’t getting me connected–even after multiple tries. After digging around under the seats, I finally scavenged enough money. Of course, I had a BAG phone in the car, but I was too terrified to use it because my dad had instilled the message that it was for “emergency use only.” A flat tire on the side of the road didn’t seem to merit the risk of using it at an inappropriate time!

By: Phaedra

Phaedra — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:02 +0000

Ahhh yes…the cell phone debate. I’m currently in the Outraged At The Ridiculousness Of It All mode, but then, my kids are 3 & 4. I somehow suspect I will conform to the pressure and buy them one sooner rather than later.