Do your kids have their own cellphone and

[XYSRUS]

I must be the of another mind set. My kid swims for two swim teams, travels, does gymnastics and baseball and that's just one of the four. I have seen no need for a cell phone. They ask for them all the time but I say TB( too bad). There is also no TV or computer in the bedrooms. But, it's an individual decision. Find out what works for you and your family. You could always take it away if it doesn't work out!

 

[winniedapooh]

My oldest 2 got theirs in 9th and 10th grade. My middle one will get his in 9th grade but no sooner...They are allowed so many minutes and I have a text "insurance" plan. If they go over their minutes, I have plenty, they have to pay me what it would cost if I did not have all those minutes. DS had to pay me once, never ever did it again and that was only about 10 dollars, DD has never done it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My DD got a phone when she was 15yo. I wanted her to wait until she was 16, but she wanted it before that time and had to pay the service plan for that first year. My boys got cells this last fall--they are in 7th and 10th grade. The 7th grader needed it more since he is out and about playing around the neighborhood and in sports away from home, but the older son also uses his to stay in touch since he's on the go without us a fair amount of the time. I like them having it and now it's only $10/each per month to add them to our Verizon plan (used to be $20 when our DD was added). We pay the monthly fee and they pay any extras (text messages, ring tones, etc). It's worth it to me to be able to stay in touch with them.

They had to buy their own phones. We can call between phones unlimited minutes. They are supposed to limit their use of the phones and not use them when they are at home unless it's after 9PM or weekends, but I have to remind them of that rule on an ongoing basis.

 

[Sherri]

We gave both kids cell phones for Christmas when DD was in 5th grade and DS in 6th grade. Although it was a present for them it was peace of mind for us. My kids get more freedom since they have phones (they are now going into 8th and 9th grade) they have never abused the privlege of having the phones. My son even asked to add the text messaging plan to his line and pays $5.00 a month for it.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I'm 19. Mine was a Christmas gift when I was 15. My dad was holding out until I turned 16 and was getting my license but he couldn't think of anything for me for Christmas, so he got me that . In reality it was a good idea. I was a freshman in high school 10 miles from home (different city). The bus system from my town was TERRIBLE at the time, and the pay phones in the school worked maybe 2 days out of the year. Even better the secretaries in the office refused to let students use the office phones because that's what the payphones were for So his lack of knowledge about his kid turned out to be good. I got my license a year later and that's when my phone really started getting used.
My sister is 15. She got her's for her birthday in September of her freshman year, when she was 14. I was still at the same high school as her, but got out earlier than she did, so she was dealing with busses. She's also very social, so it's a way to be able to meet up with her; she's generally out with just her friends, not friends and their parents. She actually just had her cellphone stolen from her gym locker on Tuesday, because she forgot to lock the locker, but the call from the school came in this morning that they'd caught the theif and gotten the phone back. Needless to say we're still working on responsibility with my sister. She did fine in the few days without her phone, but I'm assuming she's ecstatic to have her phone back
Except in rare situations I haven't figured out how a phone is really that necessary before high school. My stepsister did get one at 12 or 13, but that's because her mom was always forgetting to pay the home phone bill, and never had her cell phone on, so stepdad couldn't get ahold of her. But she's only supposed to use her phone for family calls

 

[Sandy V.]

Both of our teens got their cell phones the summer before they started high school. It was necessary to keep up with where and when to pick them up from their varied activities. Plus, we wanted them to have a way to contact us when they started driving.

We have 4 phones on the Verizon Family Share Plan, and I'm seriously considering getting rid of our land based home phone because it's so much more economical to use the cell phones.

 

[SC Minnie]

DD will be 12 this summer and to hear her talk she is the ONLY one in her class without a cell phone. She asks me at least once a week when she will get one. Right now she doesn't need one. The activities she is involved in have set end times so we know exactly when to pick her up. I am sure this will change as she gets older. They don't allow them at school at all.

I told her she would get one when she needed one and not before.

 

[golfgal]

I am surprised at how many schools don't allow cell phones. Does that mean they can't have them at school at all or they just can't have them on? I know in our district now and in the one we are moving to they both encourage kids to BRING phones to school but they are not allowed to have them on during the day. What they have found is that parents can leave kids messages on their phone during the day if needed and the kids can pick up the messages after school. They are taking a lot fewer messages in the office and there are a lot fewer mix-ups for rides, appointments, etc. This is for the middle and high schools, not the elementary schools.

 

[suzannen]

Our DD got hers about 3 days after the big blackout in the Northeast August 2003. She was about 8. That was the second time in 2 years that we were completely cut off from her and her school during an emergency. It took my DH and I about 2 1/2 hours to walk from our offices in Manhattan, over the the 59th Street Bridge, and then to Queens where her school and our home is located. The not being able to get in touch was very scary for her and for us. We changed and upgraded all of our phones picking out a service that had the best reputation for text messaging capabilities since most cell phones didn't work on either 9/11 or the blackout. Hopefully, in the event of another emergency, the texting messages will get through so we will be able to communicate. Since both of those days, I have never seen a cell phone as a luxury, but an emergency necessity. And, my DD is now almost 12 and has never abused her phone privileges at all.

 

[grlpwrd]

Our oldest 2 dd's have their own cell phones. Our 15 yo has had her's for about 2 years and our 11 yo has had one for about a year.

They have come in handy many, many times when they needed an early pick up, when they are with the sitter, on camping trips, and other emergencies like when I forgot my cell phone and my car died.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

My 10 year old dd has a cell phone, and she's had it since she was nine. She rides her bike to and from school, has activities that require her to stay after school several times a week, and she also stays home alone every now and then. We feel more comfortable with her doing these things on her own knowing that she always has a way to contact us if she has to. She lets me know when she's leaving her school, her friends house or if it's later in the day and something makes her nervous, she'll call me to come pick her up. If she's ever home alone and the power goes out, she has a way to get a hold of us (and yes this has happened). She never uses it to call friends or random chit-chat. It stays in her backpack, and she only turns it on when school lets out. I don't see what the fuss is all about! It makes her feel safer, and me feel better about her being a little more independant. So many parents these days won't even let their kids out of their front yard or sight, and the reasoning is that "times are different". Well, perhaps they are. Technology is different too, and my dd carrying a cell phone is keeping up with the times and providing her with a sense of security. I don't see a thing wrong with it.

 

[disykat]

My kids are 11 and 13 and so far I've seen no need for them. We have one cell phone and I carry it. When they get older, I'll add a second cell phone to the mix and whoever needs it can use it. I don't plan on ever buying them their "own" cell phone. Some day, if they want one, they can get one themselves.

 

[vellamint]

WOW - so many responses in such a short time!!


HI GINA

Well my girls do stay after school unexpectantly at times and we never know in advance when that will happen...also there are times when weather is bad and I pick them up instead of having them walk home but somehow or another I always wind up sitting there for nothing as they are staying after or get a ride from a friend. (hmmm maybe them having a phone is really for ME lol).

We already have cingular with rollover minutes and when I ordered my 14 year old phone a few months ago I just maxed out the plan and got an "extra" for them to share. After I thought about the fighting that would go on with the "sharing" - well, the phone is on top of the refrigerator and they dont even know I have it.

Everyone else has one and although I really dont follow what other people do with their kids it is starting to feel to me as if I am letting them get left behind....one of them is extremely embarrassed about not having a phone and the other one, well, she is so sociable I may have a hard time keeping her within our minutes.

They all know that if they lose or break their phone that they will either do without until the time comes for an "upgraded" phone(near contract end but mostly free) or they will make do with an old one (I have a few in a drawer somewhere)

Can you really use text messaging when the phones dont work in a blackout type situation? I thought everything came from the same towers or satellites?

My real problem is that I need two plans and that stinks but what are you going to do!! Seems MOST posters kids have the phones by JR. High and they are in Jr. High.....I need to do some more research on prices....

Thanks everyone!!

 

[suzannen]

Can you really use text messaging when the phones dont work in a blackout type situation? I thought everything came from the same towers or satellites?

Luckily, we have not had an emergency since we got the text messaging to test it out, but several of our friends were able to get through to their families by using it on those days, so the probability seems greater than on the cell phones alone.

 

[joshsmom]

My DS is 10 and he does not have a cell phone. He feels really special when I let him use mine to call a friend while we're in the car!!!! At any rate, I'm trying to hold off until high school. My sister said she would never get her DS a cell phone--but then he got to high school!! Football practice, track practice, weight lifting, meets, games, dances . . . yup, a cell phone comes in handy.

 

[Cthia]

I haven't gotten my DD11 a cell phone yet. The only reason my DD would be getting a phone would because she would be walking home from school and I won't be there to meet her and I would rather have the peace of mind knowing that if something happened I know she could contact us.

I am trying to decide whether to enroll her in the afterschool daycare program for next year or let her walk home. If I let her walk home then I am going to get her a cell phone so she can have it to call me if there are any emergencies on the way home. My parents live next door so I know they will watch for her when she gets there. Just not sure I am ready to let her walk home. I know I have to let her grow up soon just not sure when.

 

[stm61]

it's a status symbol here. My ds12 swears he's the only one in the entire middle school without one. None of my kids will get them until they 1) start driving, at which point it will be for emergency use only, 2) are involved in a sport and are getting back to the school after it's closed, or 3) develop a medical condition like diabetes. My dd's are in 1st gr and some of the kids in their classes already have them!

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I'm almost ashamed to say that my 9 year old has his own. I got tired of him begging, so I finally gave in.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

1) start driving, at which point it will be for emergency use only, 2) are involved in a sport and are getting back to the school after it's closed, or 3) develop a medical condition like diabetes. My dd's are in 1st gr and some of the kids in their classes already have them!

Just out of curiosity - why?

I just always wonder when people say that why they won't let their kids talk on the phone?

I mean, my DS who is 15 years old has an added line on out Cingular plan. We have the smallest Cingular Family plan available and between the 3 of us we still always Rollover a couple hundred Anytime minutes every month. He can make free phone calls to other people on the Cingular plan, and nights and weekends are also free. He calls his Grandma, his Girlfriend, a couple of other friends -- and his Dad and I. As I said, he has had the phone for years and it has never been a problem with him. Every once in awhile he will Text message and I can of crack up at the end of the day when he brings me a couple of dimes to pay for it. He did break his phone once and he chose to go without for a few months until he finally bought a replacement off of EBAY using his own money.

As long as he isn't using an excessive number of minutes, using it during school, or running up our bill --- am I missing some parenting gene here that is supposed to make me angry that he talks on the phone for reasons other than an emergency???

 

[dismom9761]

My DS10 has been asking for about a year for one.He is also the ONLY kid that does not have one(if you ask him).He will get one when he needs one-whatever age that may be.For now,he is always with an adult for his activities and has access to a phone.The only time I do wish he had one was when he threw up on the bus and wanted me to meet him at the school.A friend let him use her phone though.