Okay, I'm going to go ahead and file this under the "Even A Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day" file. Last night, SS11 had a fit at Target because he wants a cell phone and DH told him no. In the first place, I was like, if he's going to have an actual fit over this, he's clearly not mature enough to have a cell phone. In the second place, DH and I have talked about the cell phone thing and agreed that his kids wouldn't get cell phones until they were old enough to work for them and pay for the phones/bills themselves. We pretty much set the age at 15 because some places will accept employees at 15. We told this to SS11 and he straight up said, "Are you SERIOUS?!?" I asked him who he thought was going to pay the monthly phone bill. He said he would. I asked him how since he has no job, and he said he wants to "work it off" by doing chores, etc. DH and I were like, that's basically the same thing as us paying for it, just more convoluted. Plus every time he'd actually be enlisted to do something to "work it off," he'd probably complain about it and do it half-assed. Normally, the sight of her precious babies' eyes misting up from not getting their way is enough to make BM give in and get them whatever their little hearts desire (hence WHY he's still having tantrums at 11)...but upon conversing with DH about the subject via text, she actually AGREES WITH US!!!!!!! (Cue singing angels/blaring trumpets in triumph.) My theory is that it's only because she can't afford to put him on a plan and knows we won't help her pay for it, but SHE actually set her cell phone age at 16! A full year more than us, the stern parents! Apparently he had hit her up for a cell phone today after returning home to her house and tried the misty eyes/shitfit on her too and it didn't work. She and DH were texting about it and he said, "I just think that this is one of the life lessons he needs to learn. The value of earning something and paying for it himself is something he'll need for his adulthood, so we may as well start now. Just because his friends have cell phones doesn't mean he should have one too." BM actually said, "I agree, he's way too young." P.S. I also have another theory that BM doesn't want SS11 to have a cell phone because he has a "girlfriend" and she thinks he's too young for that, too, so I think she doesn't want him texting her. You know what, though? I'll take what I can get, whatever the motivation, the bottom line is we're actually on the same page with BM for once, so I'll just bask in the glow.