Joined Sep 2007
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How do large families afford to give every kid a smart phone?
November 29, 2011 at
06:58 AM
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I am pricing plans and I can't believe how expensive it is to have multiple smart phones. We have 5 lines on our plan and pay $185/mo with AT&T - if we upgrade to all smart phones the plan will be almost $300/mo and that is not even unlimited data! I even get a corporate discount. We are almost out of contract on all lines so we can migrate to another carrier but it still looks like $250/month. I just cannot justify that kind of cell phone bill. Is it just me? Am I just cheap?
I have three teenagers nagging me about upgrading to smart phones and it is getting old.
My 17 yr old is working so I told her she can come off our family plan and get her own phone. She thinks that is unreasonable.
Ok, guess I just had to vent and whine.
I have three teenagers nagging me about upgrading to smart phones and it is getting old.
My 17 yr old is working so I told her she can come off our family plan and get her own phone. She thinks that is unreasonable.
Ok, guess I just had to vent and whine.
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as an aside: i'm going to sound like a curmudgeon, but based on a very small sample size, i don't want my kids having an advanced phone at an early age. my three cousins (ages 5-8 now) used to play with each other inside and outside and talk for hours when we got together at family functions. the father of one of them gave her his old Android-based phone to use as a media player (wifi, but no cell plan). he wanted her to get acquainted with technology at an early age so she wouldn't be left behind (she's home-schooled, and neither parent is very tech-savvy).
ever since she got that thing, her head has been buried in it every time i've been around her. she's either playing a game, watching/listening to media, or doing something else. she will do this while the other two kids are playing like they used to do. people will cry that it's the parents' job to make sure it's not overused, but honestly, if it's a phone, the kid will need to have it on them and usable the vast majority of the time, so they'll get dependent on it sooner or later.
i'm a technophile, but i see way too many people way too tied to their devices nowadays. if they can't check facebook every ten minutes, they go into withdrawal, and it can directly affect their relationships.
as an aside: i'm going to sound like a curmudgeon, but based on a very small sample size, i don't want my kids having an advanced phone at an early age. my three cousins (ages 5-8 now) used to play with each other inside and outside and talk for hours when we got together at family functions. the father of one of them gave her his old Android-based phone to use as a media player (wifi, but no cell plan). he wanted her to get acquainted with technology at an early age so she wouldn't be left behind (she's home-schooled, and neither parent is very tech-savvy).
ever since she got that thing, her head has been buried in it every time i've been around her. she's either playing a game, watching/listening to media, or doing something else. she will do this while the other two kids are playing like they used to do. people will cry that it's the parents' job to make sure it's not overused, but honestly, if it's a phone, the kid will need to have it on them and usable the vast majority of the time, so they'll get dependent on it sooner or later.
i'm a technophile, but i see way too many people way too tied to their devices nowadays. if they can't check facebook every ten minutes, they go into withdrawal, and it can directly affect their relationships.
Also, everyone else has cell phones too. Borrow theirs.
It might not be common now for there to be house phones, but if a kid is at a friend's house, a parent should be there, and they most likely have a phone. I didn't do extracurricular activities though, so I have no clue how any of that would work.
My 5-year-old doesn't even know what any of those are!
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That's not fair. That little fellow can use some help from siri.
Once they hit high school and have tons of extra activities and whatnot, it makes sense.
I got one at 16, when I started driving (back when that's what cell phones were for - if you got stranded somewhere!
Mom: "What time is band practice over?"
Son: "6:00"
Mom: "I'll pick you up at the front of the school at 6:03. If you're late....you're grounded."
Son: "Yes, ma'am.
There are dozens of different scenarios where it would be immensely helpful and a time saver.
Trying to get him in the mood?
What if it ends early? Or runs late? Or what if the band teacher is sick, and practice is cancelled? Or what if he wants to go over to a friend's house?
There are dozens of different scenarios where it would be immensely helpful and a time saver.
Get used to it!
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