Advice for Moms
I bought my 10 yr old a cell phone for her birthday because there are sometimes when she will stay home with the doors locked while I go get the mail at the end of the street and she stays after school once a week for a club. Its a pay as u go phone so other then standard mins so she can call out for emergencies she has to earn text mins or call friends mins. When we r home sone has to ask to use her phone and tell me what for unless she is out with it. I'm really wanting to teach her that at her age cells are for emergencies and to communicate something quick like i need picked up. Her sister and her keep begging me for itouches for Christmas so they can text on wifi at home or library. These are expensive devices though and i know they more what it to text with each other, their cousins or me and my husband and sd could text her mom with it. What I'm looking for is like an itouch knock off that's much cheaper like under 75 or something that will text to normal cell phones on wifi without being a cell phone cuz I want the cell to be mainly used for quick or emergency calls. Also Sd is only 8 so I'm not ready for her to have a real cell. Any ideas.
Replies
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This era has ruined children. Lol no joke! My first cell phone wasn't until I was in 6th grade. Sry no advice here. :s -
You can down load an app called heywire and get free texting. It only works on some phones. ( if you can download it, you can use it) -
Lol my first cell wasn't until I was 18 and paid for it myself! I had friends with pagers in 8th grade, but I never had anything but a home phone.
OP good luck finding what you are looking for!
Quoting Kazmira222:
This era has ruined children. Lol no joke! My first cell phone wasn't until I was in 6th grade. Sry no advice here. :s -
Lol! My first cell was when I was 22 and I bought it right after dh left for boot camp!
Quoting Kazmira222:
This era has ruined children. Lol no joke! My first cell phone wasn't until I was in 6th grade. Sry no advice here. :s
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I would never purchase a cell phone for a child. My daughter never had one, didn't get one until she got a job and paid for her own plan and phone. I never had a cell phone growing up and I was in afterschool activities, my daughter was in afterschool activities. Never needed a cell phone.
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Bump
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I had graduated high school and bought it myself...
I did have a totally rad pager in high school, though... and change for the pay phone!!! :p
Quoting Kazmira222:
This era has ruined children. Lol no joke! My first cell phone wasn't until I was in 6th grade. Sry no advice here. :s -
This i didnt have a phone until i was an adult is silly. In this day and age we have cheap technology that can help keep our children safe and to dismiss it out of hand just because it wasn't around...or as accessible... or able to restrict the use doesnt mean it doesn't have value. I bet the little girl in my state that was just abducted and found dismembered her mother wishes she had given her one. Would it of saved her? Helped them find her body sooner? We will never know but i will use all tools available. The 11 yr old last week in the neighboring state who was sexually assaulted and left to walk back to town wishes her mother had given her one. Its silly to blame the technology on anything as its up to the people to be responsible. As soon as my DD starts school and is out of my sight she will have one that only allows 911 and her family calls in and out. Try being smarter than the technology
Sorry OP i haven't started my research yet as DD is only 3 but dont feel the need to defend yourself and your choices for your child. Be the parent set limits and stick with them and you guys will be fine. -
I agree i want to get things now because i feel she will learn its a tool not a toy. Learn responsibility. I didn't get my first cell til i was 18 why did i wait so long and want to get my 10 yr old one is simple. Cell phones didn't become available easily until I was 18. We don't have a house phone and i don't want one however the phone dd has is free because she has Aspergers and anxiety so a caseworker through a non profit program said wrote a grant to get the cell phone. It has a location device in it if she wonders off and they want her to use it to learn personal self care skills like a phone in emergencies or for basic communication. It's a great program and I'm glad this is available for my girls
Quoting erinsmom1964:
This i didnt have a phone until i was an adult is silly. In this day and age we have cheap technology that can help keep our children safe and to dismiss it out of hand just because it wasn't around...or as accessible... or able to restrict the use doesnt mean it doesn't have value. I bet the little girl in my state that was just abducted and found dismembered her mother wishes she had given her one. Would it of saved her? Helped them find her body sooner? We will never know but i will use all tools available. The 11 yr old last week in the neighboring state who was sexually assaulted and left to walk back to town wishes her mother had given her one. Its silly to blame the technology on anything as its up to the people to be responsible. As soon as my DD starts school and is out of my sight she will have one that only allows 911 and her family calls in and out. Try being smarter than the technology
Sorry OP i haven't started my research yet as DD is only 3 but dont feel the need to defend yourself and your choices for your child. Be the parent set limits and stick with them and you guys will be fine.
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That is awesome
Quoting mamaBerg85:
I agree i want to get things now because i feel she will learn its a tool not a toy. Learn responsibility. I didn't get my first cell til i was 18 why did i wait so long and want to get my 10 yr old one is simple. Cell phones didn't become available easily until I was 18. We don't have a house phone and i don't want one however the phone dd has is free because she has Aspergers and anxiety so a caseworker through a non profit program said wrote a grant to get the cell phone. It has a location device in it if she wonders off and they want her to use it to learn personal self care skills like a phone in emergencies or for basic communication. It's a great program and I'm glad this is available for my girls
Quoting erinsmom1964:
This i didnt have a phone until i was an adult is silly. In this day and age we have cheap technology that can help keep our children safe and to dismiss it out of hand just because it wasn't around...or as accessible... or able to restrict the use doesnt mean it doesn't have value. I bet the little girl in my state that was just abducted and found dismembered her mother wishes she had given her one. Would it of saved her? Helped them find her body sooner? We will never know but i will use all tools available. The 11 yr old last week in the neighboring state who was sexually assaulted and left to walk back to town wishes her mother had given her one. Its silly to blame the technology on anything as its up to the people to be responsible. As soon as my DD starts school and is out of my sight she will have one that only allows 911 and her family calls in and out. Try being smarter than the technology
Sorry OP i haven't started my research yet as DD is only 3 but dont feel the need to defend yourself and your choices for your child. Be the parent set limits and stick with them and you guys will be fine.