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random thoughts about skids and cell phones

MamaFox's picture

Is it unreasonable to want to get the boys cellphones WITHOUT cameras? I'm tempted to not allow camera phones for the boys until they are 18.

Thoughts?

QueenBeau's picture

I would keep the same rules for boys & girls.

I think it's fine. Any reason you think they shouldn't have a camera? Some past behavior? I only ask because it's hard to find phones without cameras now days.

MamaFox's picture

I don't have sds or bds yet, but if I have a bd she won't get a phone until she gets her first job.(and mom will be nice and get her a fancy one 6 months after she proves she can keep the line on)

The boys are pretty active, and OSS is 14 so soon enough he will want to drive and when that happens, .....I'm of half a mind to not allow a phone in the car.

QueenBeau's picture

Oh, trust both genders will sext.

Why not just get a phone without texting? just calling?

memyselfandi's picture

In our "family" (hubby, myself, and two SKids ages 12 and 15) Daddy has insisted on the kids having Smartphones because they always have to have the latest gadgets. SS takes care of his, but SD is on her SECOND Smartphone in less than a year in addition to being on her SECOND tablet in a year also. She doesn't take care of her things and either loses them or breaks something on them. We have bought her top of the line expensive cases for her gadgets so they shouldn't be getting broken, however, she has a bit of a temper and I'm sure the screens got broken by her throwing them when she didn't get her way about something.

In addition, she's constantly going over the amount of gigs (or whatever ya call them) allowed every month because she has to watch everything on YouTube when she's out of wifi range.

Our cell phone bills have been running in the area of over $250 a month, which I think is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous!!

The last time she broke the screen on her phone I told my hubby that maybe we should just make her wait to get a new phone and that she should either suffer without one so that she learns how to take care of her things..or we could get her a Straight Talk flip phone with unlimited minutes. But then she wouldn't have the internet (God forbid!!)

Used to be that a basic cell phone was good enough but now that the kids have had Smartphones...heaven forbid they go back to something a little more durable.

In addition, SS has to have Skype Plus (or whatever it is) that costs $9.99/month. Does it ever quit with all these expensive gadgets and additional services they have to have??

At one time during a family discussion about money, I mentioned that maybe we could give up some of our phone features so we could cut back on our monthly bill..or possibly even go to StraightTalk phones once our contract is up.

Oh my Lord..THAT went over like a lead balloon.

MamaFox's picture

Really it would just be for the 14 year old, the 10yro doesn't need a phone. And until he can get a job, it would be a tracphone (prepaid minutes)

Orange County Ca's picture

Get them one of those cell phones designed for seniors, big numbers and a storage book, nothing else. Call or forget it. They can buy their own if they want more.

Better yet one that only calls 5 people. Daddy, Mommy, three friends and 911. All programmed in and not changeable except by password entry.

lintini's picture

When SS12 was 10 his grandpa from his BM side bought him a cellphone. He constantly was losing it, so much so one time the office at school got it from a kid turning it in because it was on the floor in the hallway. Or he would leave it at his dads and before we moved far away then fDH would have to run it back over to BM house. Freaking stupid. I asked him last weekend where it was and he said he lost it and hadn't told his mom yet .....hahahaha!!!! I hope no one is calling Japan with that thing!!!

Now SS12 got a ipodtouch, which is like a larger ipod that you can text if you have wifi, and get all the apps you need. So he has instagram and he added me .... He started posting innapropriate things, like a griaffe with its tongue out and it's captioned "shrooms" I don't think I knew what those were when I was 12.....anyways.... Well he hasn't posted anything for 9 weeks when he usually posted everyday.....I guess that is lost too and I think DH paid 200$ for that thing last year, then another 80$ when SS12 broke the screen right away.

Don't even get me started to what happened to SS12 laptop ...... That kid can't even remember his cup for sports games, how can he keep track of expensive electronics????