So......My almost ten year old (in SEVEN days) told me recently that she is the only kid in her class to not have a cell phone. She tried to convince me that 27 of the 28 students have them. Whatever......!!!!!!
..........or do they????
Good grief! Am I really that out of touch with today's youth? I simply looked at her and said no. Explaining that cellphones required money to purchase and maintain and why would she need one yet anyway. It's not like she's going to to parties and needing to call me to come and help her escape some drunk teenage git..........yet.
A few days after this complaint and request from her I allowed a mate of hers to come and play. Geez, I am out of touch. Ten year olds don't play afterschool anymore. They surf the net, chat to each other on facebook and then talk about nail polish colour and the movies they will 'catch' in the holidays. Anyway.....when I greeted the girls at the end of the day, here was the friend chatting on her cell phone to her mum.
Mmmmm got me thinking............maybe I'm missing out on some mother daughter bonding stuff here. Is this the new method of communication between child and parent? Well, not in my house, but maybe I should try and remain open minded!!!
Thankfully my VERY NEARLY ten year old still talks to me, most of the time, and is beginning to understand the concept of working for your luxuries. Which is exactly what I consider a cell phone to be at her age. Me? until about five years ago I hated cell phones. I had one, but rarely used it on a daily basis. My biggest annoyance was the fact that anyone could suddenly find me where ever I was. Sneaking around the shops was not an activity of privacy anymore!!
Now, especially after moving away from many family and friends I wouldn't be without it! Leaving my profession for a while for my other job; mum at home, has meant the cell phone is a lifeline to the outside world. The ADULT world................Not the R18 world, just the everyday contact that a 18month old just can't provide.
So there will be no cellphone until much later, which I'm sure then we will appreciate as we sit in the lounge, curlers in hair and shot gun on shoulder. Waiting for the 'boyfriend' to bring her home from that dreaded party.
xx
so pre pay phone vouchers are not an option for her birthday lol....
ReplyDeletei could just imagine her texting you from her bedroom when she wanted something!
They grow so fast :(
I just attended Parents inc Growing Great Girls seminar last night and they recommend we don't get a girl a cell phone to at least the age of 14 and even after then to keep it as a "family phone" girls are too prone to bulling from them.
ReplyDeleteWe did however get our 10 year old boy a cell phone for his last birthday. He is absolutely not allowed to take it to school. we brought it for safety reasons, he has a job walking neighbours dogs after school. He is not allowed to give his number out to friends. He has only ours and our family numbers on it.
It's so funny about the kids not playing together after school any more!! at 10 I was riding horses and comparing baby sitters club books with my friends ;/
Wow! I was shocked to find recently that my good friends eight year old sister has a cellphone! I thought to myself, who on earth does she text, the thing seems to be glued to her hand! I didn't get a cellphone until the second year of high school, Sam and I shared one in my first year because we were traveling by bus to and from school, I hated not having a phone and would always moan to mum about it but now I see how ridiculous it is eight and nine year olds getting themselves into a lot of trouble because as my mum always says you can't take a text back once it's sent so think very careful about what you say.
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