Can You Hear Me Now?
By Glinda
While at the beach today, I heard a woman ask her daughter “Where is your cell phone?”
The girl wasn’t more than twelve, and I wondered when the Munchkin would qualify for a cell phone of his own. Because I really don’t think it’s a question anymore if a kid will or won’t get a phone, it’s simply a matter of when.
My mother apparently came into motherhood about twenty years too early, becuase the idea of being able to call me at any second would have greatly appealed to her. Whenever I went out, which was often, I was required to give a detailed itinerary, even after I became an adult. She was even known to ask for the phone number of the movie theater where I would be watching a movie. No, I couldn’t believe it either.
I know that they have those very simple cell phones for young children that have all of two buttons or something, with pre-progammed numbers. But I’m wondering exactly how many seconds it would take for him to lose it at school. I bet that even if it was kept in his backpack all day, somehow he would still manage to lose it. The child cannot keep track of a pair of sunglasses, much less a phone. Thus you will never see him wearing sunglasses any more expensive than five dollars.
Maybe when cell phones hover around ten bucks or so, I’ll think about. That can’t be too far off, right?
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July 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I’m going to try to put off getting my future kids a cell phone as long as possible, but I can see the value in having one, especially once they’re old enough to drive. That being said, however, calls home and emergency calls, I will pay for. Calls to their friends are coming out of their allowance.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Cell phones are already around $10. Most plans will let you add on another line for $9.99 a month, and they’ll throw in a phone for free.
I already know it’s a matter of “when” and not “if” my girls get phones. They are 10 and 8 1/2 now. I’m going to hold out until at least the oldest is 14 or so. And I fully intend to have them contribute a fair share of the bill.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
You can also get them a prepaid plan and then they put them on a phone “allowance” so they have to feed it by buying time. It’s slightly more expensive, but then they can’t possibly overspend. Emergency calls still go through, and some plans allow kids to call certain numbers all the time, like their parents.