Does Your Child Have A Mobile/Cell Phone?

[Tangnefedd]

In the UK many kids from the age of 7/8 years seems to have one. It is indeed an unusual teenager who doesn't own one and spends a lot of time texting their friends the otherside of the school playground, LOL!!!!

I would not want to give a primary school (under 11 years) child a mobile phone, but would certainly allow a child older than that to have one so they could keep in touch with me. I would however insist on a prepayment card, otherwise an unlimited tariff could lead to an enormous bill. My middle daughter would have phoned the world had she the opportunity!

 

[Momzilla]

My kids don't, but then again the oldest is only 3! But when they get older, they're going to feel awfully deprived when it comes to technology. We won't be letting them have a TV in their rooms, and I doubt very much they'll have cell phones/pagers until they're at least teenagers, and hopefully later (i.e., when they can pay for such devices themselves).

 

[Tangnefedd]

I agree with not letting kids have TVs in their rooms. We have only recently moved one into our son's room when he hit 18 last year. He has Down's Syndrome and has great pleasure watching DVDs and playing video games.

 

[Hook]

No Way. Kids w/ cell phones? Nuh uh! When they can afford to pay their own bills they can buy and maintain their own phones and pay their own phone bills.

TV's in the bedroom - not until graduated from HS.

Give them a car? Nope - I have a motto in my house - if you want something, you earn it and then you pay for the maintenance. Daddy & Mommy are not the money tree and life is not a blank check from the parents.

 

[Crofter]

Mine are 11 and 13.. they don't have a phone. I have an old pay as you go phone they can borrow if they go out... but normally someone else they are with has a phone and they don't go out alone very often yet.

They don't have a TV in their room.... very recently they got a cheap CD player each though.

The PC and TV is in our main room where they are still part of the family and we can use these things together. But we have a TV and PS2 console and video player for them to share in our study which is downstairs so is a compromise when they have friends round.

 

[Andry]

No Way. Kids w/ cell phones? Nuh uh! When they can afford to pay their own bills they can buy and maintain their own phones and pay their own phone bills.

TV's in the bedroom - not until graduated from HS.

Give them a car? Nope - I have a motto in my house - if you want something, you earn it and then you pay for the maintenance. Daddy & Mommy are not the money tree and life is not a blank check from the parents.

I used to have a similar motto - until I became a parent.

As qualifiers, my parents never bought me a car, I paid my way through university (2 hours each way by bus), I never had a trust fund, never had the trendy clothes other kids wore, and had one TV to share with four other siblings. But because I had really great parents, I don't feel I ever missed out on anything.

So I was determined to raise my family pretty much as I was raised. Soon after my son was born (he's now 4), I played golf with a man who had teenage kids. The conversation led to cars, and he told me he just bought his son a BMW. (So in my mind, I thought "So what does he drive?") It turns out he drove a 10 year old Jeep Cherokee. When I pressed him why that was the case, ie. his son drives a 'fancy' car while he drive the 'heap', he said, 'He's my son. Why wouldn't I want to bless him? I'd like to see him enjoy his life while I'm still here. I've never had a BMW, so I want him to have it instead.'

His perspective profoundly impacted me. I know some of you may not agree, but just something different to think about.

There's a fine line between doting and spoiling, and for every parent that line will be different, based on all sorts of things...our cultural backgrounds, our economic wherewithal, our expectations.

My family motto is: Take advantage of the opportunities that were given to you. Don't dwell on the fact of what you have or have not.

 

[Tangnefedd]

We have encouraged our children to maximise their intelligence. We were not well off when they were young, and all their gifts were well thought out and given with love. We had a rule if it was advertised on TV, forget it!!! In consequence many of the things we have given them in the past are still in use for our grandsons. We didn't buy them cars but did give them cash sums so they could start up their own homes. I don't believe in spoiling kids, they need to know the value of things. It seems to have stood them in good stead.

 

[faith177]

My mom will help us out whenever she can because she is in a place where she can. we grew up not having much she was a single mom and worked her own way up to being quite comfortable, her mother had six kids who all had there own businesses so when my parents split up my grandmother helped her out and now that she is in a better situation she helps us out. I appreciate it so much that I know that I will do the same for my children.

I would give my teens something like a phone or pager, so that I can get ahold of them, now when my son is out playing in the neighborhood we have walkytalkies and it is so handy and feels much safer than just letting him go, although its unlikely that they will be allowed to run the streets as teens as both my dh and I were street kids so we are quite abit stricter.

 

[Sonifo]

No Way. Kids w/ cell phones? Nuh uh! When they can afford to pay their own bills they can buy and maintain their own phones and pay their own phone bills.

TV's in the bedroom - not until graduated from HS.

Give them a car? Nope - I have a motto in my house - if you want something, you earn it and then you pay for the maintenance. Daddy & Mommy are not the money tree and life is not a blank check from the parents.

This is how I feel. I think to many parents are giving there kids to many things. When in fact they can earn themselves. Both my older boys (13 and 14) have paper routes. They use the money from their jobs to buy these extra special things they think they need.

I will not allow them to have a personal cell phone. We do have 3 cells and if they go somewhere I usually let them have it so they can call me if anything was to happen or they needed me for some reason.

I happen to know a few kids who have been given alot of things by their parents. You talk about kids with a bad attitude. These kids have no respect for the elders. They think everyone should bow at their feet.

 

[smile]

Well I find having a cell phone is really helpful when my parents want to get ahold of me to find out where I am and if I'm still breathing P ) And when a friend needs to get ahold of me when something is going on and they need help, to talk, or something like that.

Now, if they are just sitting at home and gabbing away on their cell when the home phone is 2 feet from them, then that is a big waste of money and they don't need a cell phone. But it's really helpful when kids hit the teenager mark and they go out with friends and you have a way to get ahold of them if need be.

And about the tv thing, I have one in my room. I hardly ever really watch it. I think that when they are kids, they don't need one in their room. But when you are a teen it's nice to go into your room and just sit and zone out in front of the tv without anyone disturbing you. And no, not all teens should have one in their room because yeah..you don't want them to turn into a tv zombie. But not all teens will do that.

And I will also say that not all kids/teens who have alot of things are spoiled, rude, or have bad attitudes. Some of them are the sweetest teens you have ever met.

So yeah, I know this is the parents board but thats a teens look at it.

God Bless,
Kemper

 

[oldrooster]

When my children get a job then they can have cell phones !!!

 

[Andry]

Most rich people don't consider themselves rich, because they're not comparing themselves with the have nots, their comparing themselves with the 'haves'.

We tend to draw the line between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' with ourselves. So those who 'don't have', and in this topic, cell phones, will tend to (with exceptions) find them as a 'luxury' while those who 'have' find them a necessity. And that has always been the case with anything 'new'.

As an example, if shoes were just invented, the 'haves' would quickly find shoes a necessity. The 'have nots' would say something like, "Well I walked for years barefoot, and I'm fine without them; so my kids will wear shoes when they can earn it for themselves."

A bit ridiculous isn't it? But with anything 'new', that's the attitude we tend to have. We think nothing of providing shoes for our kids, like, well duh, of course my kids need to wear shoes. But bring that into a Third World context, and the pattern cycles the same way - look at all those missionaries wearing shoes!! Wow, are their kids spoilt!

My own thoughts are, why would I want to have my kids go through all the things I didn't "have"? Character building is typically our rationale. But the truth is, you don't build character by depriving our kids of material blessings. I know many in the church think that's how God is with us. But it doesn't work that way. If our kids are spoilt, it's not because of material blessing. It's because we've failed as parents by providing and raising our kids with the character building blocks found in Scriptures.

 

[tesnusxenos]

my son 19 has cell phone we got ot for him for his birthday(or maybe we got it for us so we can get a hold of him) He has never gone over his minutes. I am getting one for my daughter (turning 17) she is in college also and catching them in their rooms is to difficult. Hers will be the pay for your minutes ahead time cause she is way more social and would talk to much LOL

 

[Krystina661]

7 and 8 years old seems quite young to be using a cell phone..

 

[Tangnefedd]

7 and 8 years old seems quite young to be using a cell phone..

I agree, but some children in the UK have them as young as that, possibly younger! The norm though is for children to have them when they start secondary/high school at age 11 years.

 

[Doreen]

nope my daughter doesn't have a mobile phone although when we were on holidays a couple of years ago I let her use the spare one we have so that I could keep track of her while we were sightseeing and stuff incase we were separated.

 

[selune]

Not only do our kids not have a cell phone, neither do we! Grandma and Grandpa do, we're just behind in that aspect of technology.

 

[Tangnefedd]

I can't imagine not having a mobile phone now, they are so useful for keeping in touch with home when I am out.

 

[Andry]

Alright, I'll admit it. My family is technologically "tuned in" - out of necessity and not for "keeping up with the Jones". In fact, my wife and I have several cell phones, because of the nature of our jobs, and depending on where I'm travelling; I like and need to be in touch with my family all the time. (And no matter what anyone says, North America's 'tri-mode' phones don't work anywhere else - or at least I haven't been able to get connected outside N. America)

So my son, who's now 4, has been 'on the phone' with me since he was able to talk. For him, it's part and parcel with DVD's, computers, TV's, XBox....meaning it's no big deal. He knows he can watch movies 'anytime', play computer games 'anytime', and can call and reach 'daddy' anytime.

Now before any of you shout 'spoilt!'...far from it. He's a very balanced kid, and his actual TV and computer time is very limited. Not because he can't, but because he can do those things 'anytime', he doesn't do those things a lot. And when it comes time for him having his own cell phone, I suspect it'll be the same...it's not such a big deal.

 

[pmcleanj]

My family is technologically "tuned in" - out of necessity and not for "keeping up with the Jones". In fact, my wife and I have several cell phones, because of the nature of our jobs, and depending on where I'm travelling; I like and need to be in touch with my family all the time.

...Now before any of you shout 'spoilt!'...far from it. He's a very balanced kid

I'm not shouting "spoilt!" by any means! You are so very right! As a working mother whose job involves travel, I saw early on that cellular technology, like the internet, is primarily a means of increasing our connectedness with other people. That's a good thing, and shows the high value we place on connectedness in modern society. I love it that I can be a thousand miles away, have my phone ring and have a little girl ask "Mama, may I go to Sally's house?" Or have dinner with my family with the cell phone as our medium. For my recent birthday, my husband gave me a mini-webcam that will clip to the lap-top I take on business trips, so that I can see my daughters when I say good-night to them from several states away. In a difficult necessity, technology takes the edge off the separation that business travel imposes.

My daughters are being raised pretty simply, too, but they know how to use messenger to chat with their auntie and cousins who live in an isolated settlement. They don't use it to chat with school-mates nor do they chatter on the 'phone with their friends: that's what face-to-face contact is for. But should I decide they will be safer or our lives will be more convenient if they have a cell-phone (and I decide can be trusted not to lose it!!!) then they'll have one.

BTW, I just noticed where you're from. Did you grow up there, or did you move there? I lived there back in the 1970's; and if you went to school there, you probably knew one or both my younger sisters.