Do they have cell phones?

[krazee4jc]

Mine do....they didn't get them til' they were in jr. high. With all the different activities going on it was the biggest help for communication :-D Also, they didn't have all that texting or unlimited calling so they knew it was for our use only.
Now that the girls are older, they pay for there own line cause they wanted internet and all kinds of other JUNK [whatwacko]

[JoyLynn]

Oh yeah, definitely!! [OKOK] heehee! :mrgreen:

My husband's job has the best phone plan where they pay for awesome phones, as well as paying his phone bill. What this means for our kids... DEACTIVATED cell phones; our castoffs. [claploud] LOL! [rotfl] They're still able to bluetooth messages and pictures back and forth, and they love using the video (my girls LOVE making little movies!! [cheer] ), camera, and music features.

As far as using them in the traditional sense, no. Just not a need for us, being a homeschool family. If the kids were off doing a bunch of different things in different places, we'd definitely reconsider! I really like the idea of having cell phones for emergency purposes more than anything else! :mrgreen:

[lovesign]

Joy [welcomewave]

[kanaclark]

Gabe isn't quite there yet, but he's already been told when he is 18 or has his own job and can pay his own bill, he can have one. unfortunately, you have to be 18 to have a bill, so I suppose if he were to get a job at 16, he'd had prepaid.

I had my first cell when I was in college and I paid for it. My kids will do the same, regardless of how "minimal" the phone is used or has on it. I just don't see a need for a 15 year old to have a phone, I'm not even sure who they'd call at that age.

Gabe's step mom says she's buying him a phone and putting him on her plan when he turns 16, but I think it's more of a 'i wanna be your friend, so I buy you cool stuff" move she's GREAT for things like that, that and being able to tell her friends, "Oh, look what I bought Gabe". (roll eyes)

[SupermansLady]

Cody is 17 and has a prepaid phone that he pays for himself with money from his part time job. Tanner is 16, and has no interest in girls, phones, email...lol...he loves football and Jesus. And that is JUST FINE by me!!! Megan is 15 and has a prepaid phone. She has no "need" for one in my opinion and we don't generally let her use it around us much, but her mom pays for it or she works for her hunt to put minutes on it. I have found in the past, that it for her is a dangerous thing. Very dangerous. Way too easy to text inappropriate things back and forth with guys from school. She's been caught, had it taken, but got it back.

When kids have cars, jobs, out driving to and from work I can be ok with one, but they will be paying for it - not me.

It's a responsibility and a PRIVILEGE. Not a right!:mrgreen:

[Cheeseburger]

I agree w Katie - a responsibility and privilege!

My kids have our old phones whose batteries have died to play with! LOL! They love them.

I wouldn't think kids really need them except that there are less and less payphones these days, so when they are older I'd want them to be able to get in touch with me somehow if they were out and about.

They do make kids phones like this one, you preprogram the numbers (only for a few people, and then emergency)- verizon also it has GPS tracking so you can find your kid if they get lost, you can even define a "fence area" and if your kid wanders outside the "fence" it will text you an alert message... lol

http://www.beststuff.com/categories/fromthewire/audiovideo-news/verizon-wireless-launches-chaperone-service.html

Using this service, parents can:

-- Perform single location requests of the Migo phone's whereabouts and display the location of the Migo phone on a map via the Chaperone Web site or the parent's Verizon Wireless phone
-- Program the Migo phone's automatic calling buttons over the air from the Chaperone Web site
-- Customize Chaperone settings, including 'English' or 'Spanish' language, creating a unique name for the child's Migo phone and enabling or disabling the emergency calling button
-- Chaperone with Child Zone -- Using the Chaperone Web site, a parent can construct an area called a Child Zone around the vicinity of locations that their child frequents (such as school, playgrounds or daycare centers). Different locations can be "zoned" for one time, always on, or for up to 24 hours. When the child arrives or leaves the predetermined area with their Migo phone, the parent is alerted via TXT Message on their Verizon Wireless phone.

[JoyLynn]

I agree with you, Nichole. :-D

We haven't come to the point of feeling like any of our kids need a phone yet, but I must say, there are times....

As I've talked about in my journal many a time, I get my nails done with my mom in the mall. I take the kids, who are 10, 13, 14, and 16, and they wander the mall together, window shopping and getting snacks in the food court, etc. They have to check in with me every half an hour (used to be every 15 minutes! heehee!).

Anyway, there have been many times when I wished I could just give 'em a call and see how and where they are. You know.. You just want to know everything is well, just like when they're little and playing outside. You look out the window and if you can't see them, you holler for them, just to make sure they're okay. Well, I've found that hasn't changed for me! LOL! [rotfl] I'm sure I'd feel the same way (and MORE so) if they were in school, especially if they were walking. :shock:

As for calling and texting friends, no. Just no need at all. And what I would be much more worried about than text content, is the ability to go online without being noticed. For curious, hormonal teens, that's quite a temptation right at their fingertips and almost totally private. Who'd know?

[lovesign]

Joy [welcomewave]

[Cheeseburger]

And what I would be much more worried about than text content, is the availability to go online without being noticed. For curious, hormonal teens, that's quite a temptation right at their fingertips and almost totally private. Who'd know?


Can't you turn that off, though? We turned it off for my phone because I didn't have a data plan and when I accidentally went on it was quite a $$ charge on our bill... so we just set it up so my phone is locked off the net. If i click the wrong thing it just says it doesn't work LOL

[JoyLynn]

Yeah, Nichole, I know you can, but don't most teens in school know how to get around those things? That's what I've heard. How to undo parental blocks is info passed around schools like candy, from what I hear. I'm not totally sure this goes for phones the way it does for puters, though. This is just what I'm hearing. Kids laugh at their parents' attempts to keep them off the net. :lol:

[lovingsmiley]

Joy [welcomewave]

[Cheeseburger]

Yeah, Nichole, I know you can, but don't most teens in school know how to get around those things? That's what I've heard. How to undo parental blocks is info passed around schools like candy, from what I hear. I'm not totally sure this goes for phones the way it does for puters, though. This is just what I'm hearing. Kids laugh at their parents' attempts to keep them off the net. :lol:

[lovingsmiley]

Joy [welcomewave]

For the phones, it's not a parental block, it's the cell phone company blocking that sim chip from accessing the internet... it would be really hard to get around it (although i'm sure there's probably a few out there who can).

Parental blocks on a computer, though, that's a different story.

[JoyLynn]

Ohhh, I thought you were saying you programmed your phone that way. Yeah, if it's through the phone company, that'd be a little harder to get around. heehee! :-P

[loveflag]

Joy [welcomewave]

[Tammyn4As]

We have an extra cell phone for our kids. If they are at a homeschool class or a sleep over they have the phone with them. I got the extra phone when the oldest went to church camp. It was a no phones allowed camp but I didn't care it is my child and she should be able to reach me at any time. I just thought it was crazy she couldn't have a phone there. If the councler was a dirtbag she couldn't very well go to them to ask to call home about them now could she!??!

[kanaclark]

It was a no phones allowed camp but I didn't care it is my child and she should be able to reach me at any time.

oooh, a mommy who breaks the rules in the name of her kids, now that's a mother after my own heart, there. Yep, sure is!

[krazee4jc]

We haven't had any issues with the phones :-D Other then when they don't charge them [whatwacko] Isaiah & Rebekah don't have picture access, they text & call. We find them very helpful!

Wait, the only down fall is me included [rotfl] we don't memorize anyone's #'s we just hit contacts or last call

[mom2jl]

Our kids aren't allowed phones until they have a job and can pay for it themselves. Now, that being said, when my oldest bought her new phone, she gave her old one to her sister who is now 15. She does manage to save enough money to keep her prepaid going, but I really wish she didn't have the phone. I can no longer control who she is talking to or texting (which is more often the case) and some of the things I have caught in her texts have been very frustrating. She has lost her phone privileges a few times because of attitude. But it is good when you have kids going in all different directions to be able to keep in touch with them.

[krazee4jc]

My kiddos will lose the phone privilage too if they need to! Rebekah lost phone for a week last month for because i had to tell her twice to empty the litter box...TOOK THE PHONE! I don't expect to tell them more than once.