Comments on: How young is too young for a cell phone? http://www.theguiltyparent.com/2009/05/how-young-is-too-young-for-a-cell-phone/ Because into every paren't life, a little guilt will fall. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:28:13 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: No, Seriously, My Daughter Sent Me 106 Text Messages in 3 Days | Raising A Healthy Family http://www.theguiltyparent.com/2009/05/how-young-is-too-young-for-a-cell-phone/comment-page-1/#comment-1131 No, Seriously, My Daughter Sent Me 106 Text Messages in 3 Days | Raising A Healthy Family Tue, 12 May 2009 20:45:50 +0000 http://www.theguiltyparent.com/?p=523#comment-1131 [...] How young is too young for a cell phone? [...] [...] How young is too young for a cell phone? [...]

]]> By: Kristen http://www.theguiltyparent.com/2009/05/how-young-is-too-young-for-a-cell-phone/comment-page-1/#comment-1113 Kristen Tue, 05 May 2009 16:48:17 +0000 http://www.theguiltyparent.com/?p=523#comment-1113 I have to say that cell phones geared towards kids have come a long way over the years! We recently gave in and got our younger 2 boys a kajeet. (They share it) The phone wasn't expensive. It only cost $16.99. No, it wasn't free, but we have NO CONTRACT and really, that's where cell phone companies make their money. I don't think $16.99 is too bad! We pay just $4.99 a month for piece of mind. Our kids can be reached at ANY time whether they are at Soccer practice, the neighbors house playing or down the street on their bikes. We have it set to that they can only call home or our cell phones and only family members can call them. It's been great!!!!!!!!!! I HIGHLY recommend all parents of kids get one. I mean, $4.99!? Seriously, that's a meal at McDonalds. You can't go wrong. FYI: We used the promo code 1115 to get the $16.99 price. I have to say that cell phones geared towards kids have come a long way over the years!

We recently gave in and got our younger 2 boys a kajeet. (They share it) The phone wasn’t expensive. It only cost $16.99. No, it wasn’t free, but we have NO CONTRACT and really, that’s where cell phone companies make their money. I don’t think $16.99 is too bad!

We pay just $4.99 a month for piece of mind. Our kids can be reached at ANY time whether they are at Soccer practice, the neighbors house playing or down the street on their bikes.

We have it set to that they can only call home or our cell phones and only family members can call them. It’s been great!!!!!!!!!! I HIGHLY recommend all parents of kids get one. I mean, $4.99!? Seriously, that’s a meal at McDonalds. You can’t go wrong.

FYI: We used the promo code 1115 to get the $16.99 price.

]]> By: Char http://www.theguiltyparent.com/2009/05/how-young-is-too-young-for-a-cell-phone/comment-page-1/#comment-1112 Char Tue, 05 May 2009 13:28:32 +0000 http://www.theguiltyparent.com/?p=523#comment-1112 We have three kids - 12, 10 and 7. Right now the 12 and 10 year olds each have a phone with unlimited minutes and texting. We have set down the ground rules and have led them to believe that we can and will be able to see every call and text they make or receive on our online bill (stretched the truth a bit but if we needed the info we could get it). So far we have had no lost phones. No broken phones, No wacky 900 or pizza calls. The texts I have seen are innocuous and they seem to be very responsible. Honestly we use our phones more to text each other than anything else. To me it is a safe, unobtrusive way for my kids to let me know what is on their mind, say good night when they stay at a friend's house, keep in touch with me if I am out of town (like my daughter sending me 106 text messages over 3 days while I was at a conference!) or let me know that hockey practice is over and they are in the locker room so meet me out front in 5 minutes. Our 7 year old has not needed a phone yet because she is 99% always with me, her dad, or one of her cell phone toting siblings. We started off by having an extra phone for the kids to use on an as needed basis and once they showed us they could be responsible, we got the 12 year old his phone first (at 10) and the 10 year old got hers at her 10th birthday. Sorry for rambling! <abbr><em>Char’s last blog post..<a href="http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/allergen-free-and-special-needs-school-and-art-supplies/" rel="nofollow">Allergen Free and Special Needs School and Art Supplies</a></abbr></em> We have three kids – 12, 10 and 7. Right now the 12 and 10 year olds each have a phone with unlimited minutes and texting. We have set down the ground rules and have led them to believe that we can and will be able to see every call and text they make or receive on our online bill (stretched the truth a bit but if we needed the info we could get it).

So far we have had no lost phones. No broken phones, No wacky 900 or pizza calls. The texts I have seen are innocuous and they seem to be very responsible. Honestly we use our phones more to text each other than anything else. To me it is a safe, unobtrusive way for my kids to let me know what is on their mind, say good night when they stay at a friend’s house, keep in touch with me if I am out of town (like my daughter sending me 106 text messages over 3 days while I was at a conference!) or let me know that hockey practice is over and they are in the locker room so meet me out front in 5 minutes.

Our 7 year old has not needed a phone yet because she is 99% always with me, her dad, or one of her cell phone toting siblings.

We started off by having an extra phone for the kids to use on an as needed basis and once they showed us they could be responsible, we got the 12 year old his phone first (at 10) and the 10 year old got hers at her 10th birthday.

Sorry for rambling!

Char’s last blog post..Allergen Free and Special Needs School and Art Supplies

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