I'm barely ahead of you, age-wise, and while I was in high school, only the rich kids' parents had them. By the time I was a sophomore in high school it seemed like a lot of folks were getting cell phones though. Still, apart from putting up with your kid's complaining about not having a cell phone, which would undoubtedly be infinitely worse than it was in "my day", I don't really see much reason to get kids a phone until they're 16.

 

My youngest son is now 13 and lives with his mother. He got his phone at 11 when he began playing middle school basketball. Now at 13 he still has that same phone and I am glad. Where he doesn't live with me we text each other often. He actually obeys school rules and doesn't have his phone at school but we text each other constantly and without his phone I doubt we'd get to talk as much as we do now. I will add that if he lived with me he'd probably have an iPhone like the rest of the family instead of his cellphone and iPod touch that he carries around together all of the time. I don't have a problem with a 12-13 year old having a cellphone.

Her rules are a great idea. I may not use all of her rules but I could see me using some of them.

Poor kid?

 

Seems like he's just fine to me.

 

Not sure how you've come to the conclusion that the mother is over protective though just because of some phone rules.

 

Don't text while eat, or at the movies, can't take your phone to school, talk to people....That all leads to overprotective?

 

I guarantee you this mom falls into the "helicopter parent" category. Guaranteed. Taken individually those rules , for the most part, are acceptable. It's the collective that gives me a picture of a mom that a)is going to struggle as a parent of a teen and b)seems to be saying "look at me."

 

I guarantee you this mom falls into the "helicopter parent" category. Guaranteed. Taken individually those rules , for the most part, are acceptable. It's the collective that gives me a picture of a mom that a)is going to struggle as a parent of a teen and b)seems to be saying "look at me."

 

I could see the "look at me" approach but I also think that just because a lot of parents don't do it now doesn't make it not right.

 

A lot of the rules she's trying to implement are rules kids used to live by anyway.

I can kinda see the extra-curricular activities point, although I know when I was doing them in high school, there were always pay-phones available, and phones in the coaches' office and school office. I suppose the pay-phones may not be so readily accessible any more, but still...

I can't remember the last time I saw a pay-phone. But several times kids have had to use my cell phone to all a parent when our practices got out early and/or their parent was late.

I could see the "look at me" approach but I also think that just because a lot of parents don't do it now doesn't make it not right.

 

A lot of the rules she's trying to implement are rules kids used to live by anyway.

 

Any parent that says they are going to look at every text isn't ready to give and their child is not ready to receive a phone.

Didn't get my first phone until I was 37. I just didn't think I was ready before then.

I have an 11 year old and a 13 year old and they both have phones. We got rid of our home phone and they walk home from school and are home alone until we get home after work. They also have activities after school. They both have phones for safety reasons as well as convenience for me/them. I also have guidelines set for the phones and they seem to obey them.

Any parent that says they are going to look at every text isn't ready to give and their child is not ready to receive a phone.

 

I've seen some texts that I wish I hadn't seen. Accidentally. Made me never even want to touch their phone again. Traumatic.

Her rules are a great idea. I may not use all of her rules but I could see me using some of them.

 

I agree. I may not use all of them either. In todays world I would want my kid to have the phone at all times away from me, never know when they will need it to call me, or 911. But the key point is the kid knows what is expected of him to keep the phone, none of this "I didn't know" stuff.

Any parent that says they are going to look at every text isn't ready to give and their child is not ready to receive a phone.

Funny! I have one who deletes texts like it's her job!

Any parent that says they are going to look at every text isn't ready to give and their child is not ready to receive a phone.

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see where she said she was going to read every text.

 

FWIW I don't see any problems with any of the rules.

Funny! I have one who deletes texts like it's her job!

 

Me, too.

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see where she said she was going to read every text.

 

FWIW I don't see any problems with any of the rules.

 

In the first couple lines of the agreement she says, "I look forward to sharing your texts."

In the first couple lines of the agreement she says, "I look forward to sharing your texts."

Actual Quote

"I love you madly & look forward to sharing several million text messages with you in the days to come," she added.

I could be wrong but, I took this to mean text back and forth between them, not mom reading all of his text.