Lets Talk SKids and Cell Phones
I'm of two minds on this. I understand that my SO wants to be able to talk to his kids without BM being involved (they are 9 and 11) but it enough already.
So here's some questions for everyone
1. How old was your Skid when she/he got their first phone
2. How many have they had and what happened to the phone(s)
3. How old are they now
My SD was 10 when she got her first cell phone.
She is now on her second phone because she lost the first within 2 months
She's now 11.....
So at this rate we are looking at one phone a year. Just craziness.
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Comments
Oh hell no you didn't *head
Oh hell no you didn't *head snap*
The little pooper is 7 and no, just no. There will be NO mobile devices for any little people until they are over the age of 10. It will be a brick with no online capabilities or games
Pre paid airtime too. This goes for Chucky, Polly and Baby D.
SS17 got his first phone was
SS17 got his first phone was he was 12. He is on his 3rd but that is due to discounted upgrades. He has never lost or broken a phone. SS13 also got his when he was 12. He is on his first but it has been taken away twice since he has had it - once due to bad grades and second for having a bad attitude.
BS's first phone was at 8+
BS's first phone was at 8+ years old which I thought was too young ... until he called me quietly from ExDH's house during visitation 'cuz he was scared when ExDH & SM left him alone without telling him they were leaving the house. It was 1 am and no one was there nor were they answering their cellphones. (High stress zone for visitation w/volatile SM behavior & tons of craziness.)
At 13+ he is on his second phone 'cuz his dad upgraded. He has ruined one Lifeproof phone protector/case and I need to purchase another one --- waterproof, dirtproof, drop-resistant.
BS-13+ uses the phone to insure his increasing independence/responsibility. He texts when he gets to school/leaves school. If he is skateboarding with friends, he texts when they change location/activity. I text him to remind him of appts, activities etc. In middle school, the phone is a huge social contact item. His phone is checked in on the charger every night at 9pm. All parental units have password and may check at any time all email, IM, photos & search history etc.
HOWEVER, SGD-12 is currently without a phone. She got one at 10 and broke it within the first month. Biodad did not have any protection plan nor was the phone in any type of protective case. After 2 years without a phone, she got one last month. The first week she dropped it in the toilet.
What do you mean "WE"? Eff
What do you mean "WE"? Eff that, Ninji. Not your kid; Not Your Expense!
oss was 7 when he got his
oss was 7 when he got his first phone. kept it immaculate. and has w/ every phone since. he's now 17.
mss got his first i think when he was 11, on dumbass' dime. so of course it got shut off numerous times for failure to pay the bill. he's 15 now and while he doesnt treat his phones the best, he still has one and is pretty dang responsible with it.
yss is almost 12. NO PHONE for him yet unless someone else pays. that child has no sense of responsibility.
oops missed your other
oops missed your other question. how many have they had?
they generally upgrade about once a year or so. oss is now on his g-ma's bill, and mss uses his own $$. last time was for his birthday he found one online for a fantastic deal.
Aside: nice new pic there
Aside: nice new pic there Tuff
Ninj --- it can get super pricey with smartphones. I'd suggest a Wal-Mart prepaid minimal, non-smart phone for the first year or so. It can text (slowly) and make/receive calls. Our local grocery store sells some prepaid or monthly phones also.
I would suggest prepaid since I think many kids have no idea of how much data/gigabytes, number of texts, etc that they really use. Have had several friends get hit with over usage bills which were in triple digits.
Unlimited talk/text sounds appealing but you wind up spending the one $ one way or another. My smartphone is about $65/year with Verizon. My son's is closer to $150/mo on ExDH's plan since he needs international call/text. I keep a spare pay-as-you-go phone for BS-13+ since ExDH has service disconnects a few times/year.
thnkx! oss got on a
thnkx! oss got on a relative's contract plan so he can get the yearly upgrades. if she wants to do that for him, fine. no skin off my nose.
mss, once dh took over phone duties for him, put him on straightalk, unlimited everything for 45/m. he can buy any unlocked phone off the internet with his own $ and just swap out the sim card. seems to work good for him. but he knows there's no insurance so if anything happens to it, it's on his dime. he does pretty well with it.
dh is also on straight talk, and i'm going to switch over soon as soon as i figure out one small thing that keeps me on verizon.
when it was just me, dh and one kid under contract, it was 180/m, and only oss had a smartphone/data useage (as dh and i still had flip-phones). but w/ straight-talk, 3 people can have actual smartphones w/ unlimited everything for 135/m.
SD has a Metro PCS phone.
SD has a Metro PCS phone. Actually, we all do. SO talked about getting a family plan from Sprint or AT&T but I'm only paying $40 a month with the Metro phone. A family plan would be way more than that.
Bm sent ss with a cell phone
Bm sent ss with a cell phone when he was 4. The little guy wanted to see if it would float, so he flushed it down the toilet. It was great!
Now at 9, ss has a cellphone but only when he is with us, so we can monitor where he is. I think when he gets into 7th grade, he will be responsible enough to take it from house to house, but the first time he forgets it, it goes back to being just at our house.