My DS13 ( 14 in June) wants his own....

[AMClvsMKY]

Cell Phone. Some of his friends have their own and he feels he is ready for his own also. We can probally add him on to our plan for an additional $10 a month. He would share the minutes but that shouldn't be a problem because we never use any where close to our included minutes. SO, do you think he is old enough for the responsibility? And, if so, do you think we should pay the additional $ or should he be responsible for it? I wouldn't mind him having a phone when he goes out so we can reach him easier.

 

[Beauty]

John-Cole actually has one at age 11 although I don't even think its been charged for two months He realized once he got it, he had no one to call that he couldn't call on the regular phone. At 14 though I definatly think it would be to his and your advantage. When hes gone with friends its easy for you to get in touch with him or vice versa. J.C. was actually very conscience about his minutes the few times he used the phone. I was proud of him.

I would probably cover the $10 for him. Its just a nice feeling knowing you can reach him when and if you need to.

 

[FOJMO]

Yes, I think he's old enough. We got our DD (17) one when she was about that age, and it's invaluable. She has her own plan, though, as we couldn't get a decent one that shared minutes. We pay for it, as long as she stays under her allotted minutes. If she goes over, she has to pay the difference.

I would monitor his usage (and his calling detail), though, if you can. We have Sprint and we can view it online. If there's any unusual phone numbers or times of day that are in question, you can then address it with him.

It proved very valuable for us when she went to a party last year. I had a funny feeling that sometime she was going to need it. And she did. There ended up being drugs and alcohol at this "party" and we had talked ahead of time about it and told her if that ever happened, for her to leave immediately and call us from her cell phone. She and one of her friends did leave, called us, and her friend's parents picked them up at a nearby 7-11. She said she was glad she had the phone, especially then.

Just set down some ground rules and you should be fine. PLUS, if you go to WDW and you split up for a few hours to go on different things, you can call each other to find out where and when to meet up (if you have free long distance and roaming charges, that is).

 

[CamColt]

My niece is 13 and just got one for Christmas. They now have the ones that you pre pay the minutes on it, and once the minutes are used up, you have to add more. Therefore you dont have to worry about them racking up a huge phone bill. I think that is a great idea for a young teen. They shouldnt use it much, but its great to have to keep in touch or in case of an emergency. And as they get older they can never use the excuse 'I couldnt find a phone", when they are going to be late.

 

[Lynn CC]

DS has his own since age 13. He keeps track of this minutes online through Verizon Wireless. We pay the $35 each month, but one month he went over $50 he had to pay and he's very careful since then. It works out great because he can call when he's ready for a ride from after school activities.

 

[LisaTx]

I would say yes.

Our ds will be 15 in July. After school activities in high school have given us many more reasons to have the need to communicate with ds.

We got him a prepaid phone from Verizon for Christmas.
We put $30 on his phone every 60 days. We were very clear about the usage rules up front. This phone is for making arrangements and quick check ins. If he wants to just "talk" he has to do that from our home phone. We showed him where we could go online and check the phone log and minutes used. Haven't had any problem with usage since then.

 

[JulesMom]

We got DD one when she turned 14.

It's very convenient for her to call us when needed. It's also a safety issue.

 

[janette]

My girls don't have one but they are 11 & 8. I plan on it as soon as it becomes more convenient for me for them to have it with them. My oldest starts middle school next year and there will be many more times she's at school late etc. I'd feel much more comfortable if she has a phone.

 

[Kallison]

Geez how did we all survive growing up without a cell phone? I don't have a cell phone and I'm always able to find a phone when I need one. I don't think my kids will get one until they are driving and then only for emergency calls if stranded on the road. I also believe there is some truth to the rise of brain cancers and cell phone usage. I don't want my kids yacking to their friends on them for fun.

 

[luv2nascar]

I think it would be okay if you would feel better being able to reach him when needed
I would probably make him pay the $10
if you pay it I would certainly make him pay for anything over the allotted minutes