Check it out.
Yes, I interviewed a lot of moms. What about dads? Am I sexist? Maybe. There was one dad, that replied to my interview request, but too late to be included in the article. Paul's 11-year-old daughter wrote him a poem in an attempt to sway his decision:
Why can’t I get a phone?
A phone of my own,
Something to call you on,
Come on Dad,
Come on Mom,
It’s something I need,
I can not feed on it but,
When I go to middle school,
I need to call you,
If you are late,
or if you need someone to hate,
So please, please,
help me.
"When I first saw it, I thought the poem was pretty funny actually," Paul says. She is a real gadget kid, and I think feels some peer pressure to fit in as well. Funny because I brought an iPhone home from work yesterday, and as you can imagine she freaked out."
Her poetic efforts seem to have paid off.
"She is starting a new school this year and I think we've finally decided to get her and her sister phones," Paul says. "It's a convenience thing. It does feel strange, but from a fiscal standpoint, they've been operating and taking care of their nintendo gameboys (and now DS lites, which they bought with their own money), so I think they'll be able to take care of a phone."
What do you think? Is there a minimum age that's reasonable for a kid to own a cell phone? Or should kids receive phones immediately following their bris? Leave your thoughts below, or on the MSN discussion board.
2 comments:
I commend your attention to this important parent/child topic of communication!
I am a divorced mother, with joint custody of my 10 and 11 yr. old children. I provide a cell phone to my children for safety and security.
My children's father does not have a phone at his house, so the only way I can contact my children during his parenting days is via the cell phone I provide to them.
He leaves them home or does not pick them up on time from school, and I have peace of mind knowing they can call me, or grandma or a neighbor when needed.
My kids know I monitor their usage to keep within my minutes/plan. Downloading ringtones and excessive text messaging - they will have to pay for.
Cell phones for children give peace of mind to parents for communication.
If the phones are used for children to call and chat with their friends, that's another topic that should be addressed between parents and children.
Meg - Trenton, Michigan
Thanks for your comments, Meg!
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