Your kids have cell phones ?

[chr_edw]

Ok here's the deal. My 11 year keeps tying up my wife's phone texting, talking whatever with her friends. It seems like most of the other 10/11 year olds already have one. Thinking about getting her one but dang I hate the extra monthly expense. Thinking about making her work an hour a day 5 days a week cleaning up in my home office to earn it.

Do your kids have phones and if so what options like talk/text/web do they have ?

 

[Zombie]

my 11 year old has one - prepaid and has to either have somebody in the family nice enough to buy her minutes, or she has to buy her own. cheaper than me keeping a line active on my account and works just fine.

 

[Weatherby]

No, if my kids want to make a call, there is a rotary phone in the lobby of the hotel down the street they can use.

 

[tRidiot]

I've been thinking about getting my son a phone, he's only six, but I won't do it unless I can find one of those that can only be used to call/text approved numbers, like mine, my wife's and his grandparents. No way he's getting a regular cell phone anytime soon.

 

[Blue Baby]

I have 6 kids. 13 was always the magic age to get a phone but the last 2 got them at 12 out of necessity.

$10 for an additional line on Tmobile. I can control how many minutes and/or texts they get a month, I can block numbers and/or turn the phone off instantly on-line. They get 5 faves that they can have unlimited calls with, plus they can call all of our other lines for free.

They all have chores they are required to do to earn their phone.

 

[338Shooter]

Didn't get one until I was driving. If we were going somewhere and needed one we could borrow mom's phone. It was only to be used to call mom at home or in an emergency.

 

[Perplexed]

And to think, it wasn't all that long ago when the kid had to go to the wall-mounted phone in the kitchen to make or take a call. Spoiled!

 

[B96brig4CC]

I had one at 12. That was 20 years ago, but my mom was a single mom and worked so we either walked home from school or road the bus and she wanted to be able to get a hold of us in case of emergency or us her in case of emergency.

I've been thinking about getting my son a phone, he's only six, but I won't do it unless I can find one of those that can only be used to call/text approved numbers, like mine, my wife's and his grandparents. No way he's getting a regular cell phone anytime soon.

I know at&t use to have a phone just like that. it had a send and end button and then 4 other buttons that could only be programmed for 4 numbers. Also has a button for 911 that I believe had to be held for 3 seconds to dial. No text feature, but great if you have a kid that walks home from school or anything like that.

 

[tntrex]

My oldest one does.

 

[cmhbob]

My oldest got her own Tracfone at 12, but she paid for it.

When we hit the road, we converted all phones over to a Verizon account. She went way over her texts several times, and is now paying the extra charge for texting on her line.