Take a look around and you will see even 8 year olds with their own cell phone. The days of having to find a payphone to call home after the movie to let your mom know that you are ready are over. More and more parents are opting to purchase cell phones for their children.
How do you know if your child is ready? Ask yourself these questions. Is my child responsible? Is my child or teen often away from home without adult supervision? Can I afford it? Once you answer these questions you will be clear as to whether or not it makes sense for you.
When you ask yourself if your child is responsible enough think about other things that they own. Have they lost calculators or iPods? Has someone stolen their portable electronics? If your child has had the same iPod for 2 years and has kept it safe then I would say they would be responsible with a cell phone.
Now in the case of an 8 year old unless that child is walking to the school bus by themselves or coming home alone after school with no one home I would say that it’s a little too young. You may or may not disagree. If you are always with your child, driving them to and from school, taking them to stores, etc. then chances are a cell phone would be a waste of money for you. On the other hand if they are a latch key kid or walk to the bus stop by themselves then they may be a good candidate for a phone.
For a teen it does make sense. Not only because they tend to have more freedom than younger are children but payphones increasingly more difficult to find. If they are at the mall, movies or at a friend’s house it will be very simple for them to pick up their phone and let you know if something is wrong or if they need a ride.
Cost is another thing to consider. Prepaid phones are a good option when you need your child to have a phone for emergencies only. There is no contract associated with it and you can control the minutes. If they are a teen that texts and talks a lot then you will want to add them to your plan and give them a certain amount of minutes each month. Make sure to get unlimited texting as that is the preferred form of communication these days.
Tracy is a freelance writer who also builds nice websites in her spare time. Check out her latest two websites on how to find good sash locks and good windows locks.
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