We used to make our kids wait till they were 16 and working . Now with no home phone we let Raven get hers at 11 but she also got more chores to go along with it
My son is 10 and he has a cell phone. We bought it for him to have for emergencies only. It is nice when he goes on overnights to be able to text him. Recently he was at a sleepover with several kids. One kid was driving him and everyone else crazy. My son texts me at 1130 to come and pick him up.
You're a smart man French with good reading comprehension skills. Now, where did I say I didn't want my kids to fit in? I said its pretty lame to get them an iPhone JUST to fit in. If the only reason someone is getting their young kids smart phones is so they fit in, then they've done a poor parenting job.
My daughter was 9 and my son was 10 when I got them phones. They just have a regular phone with no internet. They sometimes get off the bus themselves for a few minutes so I want them to call and let me know they are there. They also ride there bikes to their friends house once in a while and I want a call when they get there and when they head home...it is not like when I was a kid where I could jump on my bike in the morning and just be home for dinner anymore.
My sister who is 17 doesn't even have one yet. That should tell you something about my family's views on that. Anyway the rule for our family is you get a cell when you get your drivers licence and can pay for the phone yourself.
My family has a unique living situation right now. As a result, my wife and I have gotten my 11 year old daughter a regular old cell phone. Without going into it any further, it is a must she has the phone. Prior to our current family situation, my wife and I decided the beginning of 7th grade would be a good time to get my daughter a cell phone being she would be on a different bus schedule than my other two children.
When my kids are old enough to watch themselves and start going places without adult supervision or even limited supervision then they will have one. Cell phones can be a great tool. But like anything else they can be abused. I like the fact I will be able to know where my kids are at all times just by simply opening a app. And that I can flag a child and it will notify me when they arrive or leave a specific place.
I won't need an app on their phone to track them. My kids will have GPS tracking bracelets on their ankles. I'll make sure they're platinum plated though, so they fit in.
Marketing will tell you that you're a bad parent for not having gotten them a phone already. If you're getting it as a babysitter or a leash, don't do it. Teach them to be home when they're supposed to, don't go anywhere without getting your permission first and a few other simple things and they will survive and thrive just fine without them. My daughter used to say things like "Jessie's parents got her one" or "Jessie's parents love her so much they bought her a car", to which I always replied "Well evidently you were bad in a previous life and was born to me instead of Jessie's parents then." Now, 20 years later, Jessie is a welfare mother of 3 and my daughter has worked ever since graduating from college.
My daughter could careless about her phone, it's never charge and she never carries it. It drives me nuts, just a phone with texting. I like the fact she is not glued to her phone like a lot kids. She would rather read a book then text a anybody, she would rather play soccer then talk on a phone. It's interesting for sure to hear other parents comment on their kids and phone use. We have all the fun stuff, xbox, WII and Ipads, but they are not used to baby sit our kids. They are used as rewards, we play maybe 1 hour a week of xbox during school year. DS are only used in a car on a trip, same with our Ipads, unless they are used for school work. Dan I wish I could get my daughter to carry a phone, she simple does not care, LOL
As of now, I plan on phones coming at the same time as drivers licenses and they will probably get smart phones with some restrictions. That's all several years away so my plan could easily change by then.
Or you could teach them the same things, and still let them have a cell phone, so they or you could call when needed. Let's not act like cell phones are evil. They are a convenient tool. And for most family plans, it's cost like $5 extra per month to add a 3rd line.
I look at it this way, if I don't have a cell phone or a smart phone, why should my kid(s)? When they were younger, they could use a friends phone that that kids parent indulged them with. My cell phone is a go phone and that's EXACTLY what I want. Text me if you want or call my HOME phone.
