She wants a Phone….

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So I live in MO, out in the country to be exact.  I only lived in town or a city as you could call it while I was in college.  I remember when I was younger we had these things called “party lines.”  To be able to place a call you had to make sure someone else on your line (your neighbors) weren’t on the phone.  I don’t really remember how it all worked, but I remember I was scared to death of the telephone.  I was very shy, especially with strangers.

So then we moved on to our normal home phone.  And I so remember when my parents got their first portable phone.  How awesome was that.  I thought we were really cool.  You no longer had to be tied to the wall.

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I can’t quite remember if we got our first cordless phone before or after my mom got a car phone.

My mom’s looked a lot like this.  Remember, they mounted in the car on the front dash.
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And then a couple years after my mom got her car phone, which cost money out the wazoo for every minute used, my dad got a stylish bag phone.

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This bag phone got fantastic coverage.  I know because mom and I got the hand held phones before dad had to give his up and even when we couldn’t get coverage, he got out.  Anyway I’m getting off track.

So when I turned 16 my parents wanted me to have a phone.  About that time the hand held phones started coming around.  My mom got rid of her car phone for a hand held phone.  So when I’d go out, I’d have to switch back and forth between my mom and my dad’s phones, whoever would allow me to have theirs for the time being.

And then the day that my mom told me I had to give her cell phone back and they had me believing I was stuck with the bag phone.  I kind of threw a fit but did what they said.  I was cool like that.  Anyway, my parents got me my own hand held cell phone.

These phones only made phone calls.  They didn’t text or surf the net, they didn’t have apps or app stores, none of the above.  They made simple phone calls and they were money a minute.

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And we thought we were really cool when we were able to get different covers for the phones.

As phones have progressed they’ve gotten a lot more… fancy, should we say?

Now I know that my parents never had cellphones.  That was something you saw on the Jetson’s.  When I refer to the Jetson’s I mean the tv show.

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And then the ever popular Zack Morris phone.

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I’ll never forget in college when some girl answered her phone, “Zack Morris’ Phone” because it was the Nokia shown above.  She said it was so huge it was like Zack Morris’ phone.

Anyway, I know that phones weren’t around when my parents were young, and they really only started to become popular about the time I got of legal driving age, but I was shocked when my {step}daughter told her dad when she was 7 (she just turned 9), “Daddy, when am I getting my phone?”

So for Christmas her mother got her an iPod.  She walked into my parents house and made the comment that she got an iPod, it wasn’t a phone yet.  Her mom said she wasn’t old enough for a phone just yet.  I just looked at Tbug and said, “Who would you call?”  Come on she’s 9…. She looked at and said, “you.”

Dang, she has me, but seriously, she’s 9.  She can call me anytime she wants off her mom’s phone, same way with her dad too.

Personally, I’m not all for a little kid getting their own phone.  We’ve become to on “being found.”  I’m not going to lie, it’s, well, weird when I leave my phone at home, but I survive.  I don’t immediately answer texts.  I don’t immediately return phone calls.  I do check my email a bunch, but I can survive without that too.

The truly funny thing is I’m sure we all grew up with phones in our houses.  Even the stuck to the wall types.  But now days, most people are getting rid of their land lines.  Now, we have a land line because our cell phones don’t get such good coverage out here in the country, but if they did, we wouldn’t have a land line either.

And the funniest part, my {step}daughter doesn’t know how to use a land line.  Anyway now I”m getting off subject.  Back to topic, I’m not so sure about a younger kid having a cell phone.  I have been told if they go somewhere with friends or get lost or whatever, they can get ahold of parents, so maybe there’s a reason, I just must be old school because, I didn’t get my first phone until I was 16, which is legal driving age in MO and my car could break down somewhere.

What do any of you guys think?

0 thoughts on “She wants a Phone….

  1. My friend has a daughter, I think she's 10 and she has a phone. Her mother monitors it daily to see who she calls and texts. The same for her 13yr son. My nephew has phone and he's almost 12 and has had it since he was 10. She doesn't monitor it but has certain restrictions placed on it. And client at the clinic, her daughter had a phone. She was 9ish??? and she could only make calls to her contacts that her mother added and only take calls from those same people.
    I look at it this way, if the child is responsible enough to not lose it or misuse the phone then okay. Because there are times when she may need it, to call home when ill, to call home when the dance is over, or time when the child is with others that do not have a cell phone. My oldest was horrible about losing things, coats, glasses, you name she lost it. I would never have given her a cell phone but the youngest, yes. She was “Big Sister”.
    And she just may want one because all the other kids have one… you know how that is.

  2. I agree.

    I got my first phone at 17, and it was a pay as you go one. If I couldn't afford to buy the cards then I couldn't use the phone.

    My niece is 7, and she was asking for an iPhone (not just a cell phone, she specifically wanted a iPhone) for her 6th birthday. We asked her the same question, “who would you call” and she said “my friends.”

    It's definitely a generational thing. They grow up seeing everyone attached to their cell phones (I will admit, I'm horrible..my phone is never far and I am ALWAYS on it). They see this and it becomes this thing that they NEED, regardless of the fact that they really don't.

  3. Yup. I agree with the others. For the longest time, the middle and high school students I worked with would have better phones than myself. They'd talk about losing them, having bills over $100, etc. Unreal. Or they'd complain about not having texting or enough minutes or whatever….and they didn't pay for any of it! Defintely those kids are NOT responsible.
    My first phone was a bag phone…that was used in emergencies. For the longest time, while in high school, if we needed to call the farm, it was still a free call. But once they got rid of the extra line at school, we then went to our car to call since they wouldn't let us call long distance.
    So, good luck with this choice!
    On a side not…does the iPod have iMessage? If so, you two could possibly text each other. My sister and I do that. She's in Germany, and uses her iPad, and I use my iPhone. Just an idea. 🙂

  4. Okay…going to try and make it short…HA! First…LOVE the Jetsons and Zack references! 😀

    Now, my oldest was 11 when she got her first very basic phone–which could send texts and do voice recordings. But nothing fancy. It was perfect. She was starting middle school and was cast in the play and was in rehearsals and needed it for contacting me when they were over or when things changed etc.

    Little Middle got hers at age 10 through my sis. She mostly plays with hers. She is not as responsible. I wish she was as she is in middle school now. And it is helpful.

    As for TBug….hard to say….she is def a responsible girl–with the horses. Being between your house and her moms it could be a benefit. And what a charmer saying she would call you! If you decide to get a phone for her, I would say a feature phone rather than a smart phone. They don't require the data plan. And they don't have all the bells and whistles.

    Good luck.

  5. a way for her to call if she needs you I suppose , but at 9 she should and I assume is always in the presense of an adult when not home. There are days I hate my cell phone , and have been sorely tempted to run over it with my truck

  6. My daughter is 13 and she got her first cell in the 5th grade. I have to be honest, I like being able to contact her whenever I need to. She does lots of sports and things so she stays after school quite frequently. It's nice to be able to give her a ring and make sure she is okay.

  7. Like you, I had my first phone at 16. A cool, red Nokia. 😉 But it was only to call my folks when I arrived where I was going, or when I was headed home. There were very few minutes on it. We were so far out, it didn't even work at home anyway. Daddy had the bag phone, and only recently he had to give it up. Because of everything going digital, he was so sad and offended because the people at the cell phone place made fun of him! But I tell you what, that thing worked all over the ranch! Now you can't get ahold of him, or if you do you can't hear him. Its ridiculous. Anyway.. back to kids having phones. I don't plan on letting mine have phones.. I'm old school like that too. I can see the benefits I suppose, but I made it just fine without one and didn't know the difference. i know things are different these days, but I think we have come to rely too much on technology.

  8. I agree with you, I think that it's a bit young to have a cell phone and to me, it's crazy to see elementary school kids all have them!! The way I see it, if they are that young and are somewhere that they need to get in touch with a parent, I'm sure they can find a phone to use!

  9. I had a pager in high school, then I didn't get a cell phone until after I graduated. My step daughter is 11 and she has a cell phone that he mom got her, but it only has texting. But she is glued to it. When she is at our house I make her put it away and only check it a couple of times during the day. Her cell phone is more fancy than mine also. Half the time I don't even know where my phone is, it is a prepaid and I usually only use 50 minutes a month. I'm soo not cool. I think cell phones can be good but it bothers me when you see elementary school kids getting out of school and onto their cell phones. But I'm thinking that is the way of the world and we should probably get used to it.

  10. I'm with you – unless they're old enough to be out & about on their own (where there could be trouble)younger kids don't need cellphones.

    My parents are old school when it comes to phones. My Mom's had the same # since it was their car phone too (built into the middle of the 2 front seats) and her voicemail still says “Hi, you've reached the [lastname] carphone” I'm pretty sure she recorded that in like '92.

    They also still have a ROTARY phone that's hardwired into the wall in the kitchen. We make fun of them all the time, but I have to admit – when the power goes out – their phone still works.

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