This is for you, mom who lets her third grader have a cell phone. I hate you just a little bit. I don’t understand. Why does a third grader need a cell phone? I’m fighting the fight against early electronics over here. I’m fighting the upward battle against status symbol cell phones. And sister, you are not helping.
My sixth-grader desperately wants a cell phone. It’s ridiculous. Almost preposterous. She only spends eight hours a day away from me. Those eight hours are while she’s at school. She can’t make any calls there. We live 8 houses away. If there is a true emergency she can run home. If she leaves my house she’s going to a friends house, with supposed responsible parents who have phones. I know because I’ve called them. If she goes to practice, I’m there. If not, the coach is a responsible adult with a phone. If she wants to make a phone call she can use the house phone. It’s sitting in the kitchen collecting dust. I know it’s rather inconvenient, it’s attached to the wall. But she’s eleven. There isn’t a need for a private conversation.
I just don’t see the need for my eleven-year-old to have a phone. Daily we get reports of everybody who has a cell phone. We hear about the first and second graders with phones. So this is for you, mom who lets her elementary school child have a cell phone. I’m sorry, but I hate you just a little bit.
Overactiveovaries 
For those of you new to this argument. It normally involves telling me that it’s a safety factor, not a status symbol. I figured that one out. I offered her a channel 8 CB Radio. Its about the size of a decent subway sandwich and has a 6 foot telescoping antenna. She can carry it and, if needed, broadcast up to 10 miles.
Suddenly, she didn’t feel the need for safety communications. 😉
“Meanest. Dad. Ever.”
I hate her a little bit too!
Ha I think your so right 😉 and cute
I’m so glad you came over today because I couldn’t remember how to come back and visit you!
This is so funny and exactly how I feel RIGHT NOW!! My First grader has friends with phones. WHAT????? Sooooo not necessary. Even I didn’t have a cell phone until three years ago, and I’m a grown up!
I wonder what important phone calls a 6th grader needs to make that they can’t make at home after school? Hmmm….
I dont think kids should have their own personal phones at that young of an age……but, since we dont have a home phone our kids have to use our cell phones so if you see us in public dont hate us!! Our twins dad lives two hours away so sometimes they have to talk when he calls. We get dirty looks all the time if the kids are on the phone in public!!! My husband and I are 30 and we have three small children. We have our cell phones and the back up cell phone. We havent had a home phone since we lived with our parents mostly because we are never home.
You know I once wrote a story about text messaging or something and I probably had a 100 responses from people who are anti or for letting their young kids have phones, it was so interesting to see all the reasons….some people did have some good reasons. It seemed like a lot of families who had younger kids with phones had issues, like lots of kids going in multiple directions at once or single-parent families. I wish I could remember the month I wrote it becuase the responses were good. But yeah as a mom who is available at this point…no cells for the wee ones.
if your elementary school child needs a cell phone then you need to rethink your parenting. If they are some where you’re not then you have the problem. High school kids are independent but younger kids need parents not cells So Mckayla I’m on your moms side on this one
Momma
Honestly I agree with you and Dave!!! We do have the small radios though they reach to the park I am sure you they would reach 8 houses down LOL We got them for road trips Jeremy’s parents are weird like that we must be connected at all times in amusement parks cause you know we all dont have cell phones.
I’m all with you on that. Olivia isn’t getting a cell phone until she’s at least 14!!!! Thankfully I think I still have a way to go before it’s an issue!!!
I love your idea, Dave!!! Let your kids know that my four teenagers share 1 cell phone. I decide who needs it when, but most of the time we use it as a home phone (with our cell plan, we get unlimited calls to each other, so rather than use minutes to call our home phone, we just call the “community phone”). I’m gonna use Dave’s suggestion, though, the next time someone moans about not having their own phone!
When I was a kid our first phone number was HOWARD-6813 or HO-6813 for short. When we went to visit grandma in OK the phone # was only 4 numbers long. Sometimes when you went to make a call you would pick up the phone and somebody would already on the line. Sometimes other people would listen in on other people’s phone call (I know I use to).
But to quote Jay Leno “what has become of our kids” when kids need a cell phone to call their friend 8 house down the road.
My best friend in 3rd grade was David Wheaton. He family didn’t have a phone. His mother would drive down Hi-way 26 to the local market to make a phone call. If I wanted to play with David it was a 20 minute bike ride. I went to David’s often and so did many of my other friends. We liked playing on David’s farm — because our mom’s could call us to come home to do chore — THEY DIDN’T HAVE A PHONE!!!!
I’m not about to give me kid a cell phone until he’s close to 18 unless there is a medical or safety issue or he can pay for it. My sister’s kids all get cell phones at age 12 in sixth grade – there is nothing but trouble from that point on. I’m proud that my kid can hang out with your kids so he doesn’t feel is he the only one without a cell phone!