If you saw a ten year old girl with an iPhone....

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Replies

  • No matter what I think.. ..I wouldn't say anything, parent's choice.

    I am looking at getting my 8 year old a phone for Christmas...
    http://www.kajeet.com/4u/index.html

    Phone for kids... with lots of restrictions that parents can apply.

    I am a divorced parent, I like knowing my kiddo is safe at dad's.. or at a friend's house.. or that she can reach me if she needs me since we live inside the beltway of Baltimore.

    She's also very responsible, does the dishes, the laundry.. takes care of the cats.. and is very very mature for her age.
  • Pspetal
    Pspetal Posts: 426 Member
    Not my business, is it? I'll have an actual opinion about it when I have a child and she/he turns 10.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
    . The only time it would be appropriate for someone to do that was if you were abusing your kid (I have seen strangers yell at parents for hitting their kids in public and that is awesome sauce).

    Are you talking full out beating the kid in public or just a whack?

    If it's just a whack then I disagree with you. It is never appropriate to voice your opinion on what a parent is doing to their child regardless if it's a smack on the rear or their talking on a cell phone. You don't know what has happened during the day that drove the parent to finally whack the unruly child. There are too many people like you out there who find it necessary to tell a parent that they can't smack their own child and that is why we end up with kids who act out in public, swear at their parents, smack their parents in the face etc. etc. because people tell them it's wrong to hit their kids or show any sort of discipline be it in public or in the safety of their own home. Yes there are blatant cases of child abuse out there I know and yes when a child is constantly bruised and battered something should be done but a whack on the butt or where ever because the kid is being an unruly f*cker in public is none of your business.

    Yes. Kids these days are bad because people object to beating your kids. That's it.

    I forgot discipline = violence. Thanks for reminding me. Sorry, parents, for objecting to your laying your hand on a littler person. I promise not to do it again. After all, you gave birth to the child so clearly you have a right to do anything you like to them, right? I mean, everyone knows kids don't deserve respect.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
    I think anyone with an iPhone is stupid, but I wouldn't yell at a kid for that.

    What? I'm confused as to why you would judge someone just because they have an iPhone? Sounds more like jealousy to me.
    I just think it's stupid to pay so much for a phone. How many people actually NEED a smartphone, really?

    I use the MFP app on my iPhone, logging primarily with it. I only rediscovered MFP because I was looking through the app store. I don't need my iPhone anymore than I need nice clothes, but I sure do love it ;)
  • Laces_0ut
    Laces_0ut Posts: 3,750 Member
    Shouldn't ten year old girls be playing barbies or something instead. :huh:
    Sigh.. kids should be kids.

    toys and interests change with each generation. just because we enjoyed something as kids doesnt mean todays generation does.
  • Shouldn't ten year old girls be playing barbies or something instead. :huh:
    Sigh.. kids should be kids.

    toys and interests change with each generation. just because we enjoyed something as kids doesnt mean todays generation does.

    LOL, they want both, I think. At least mine does. She swore she "outgrew" her Barbies at 8, but then by 11 she dug a couple out of the garage and she now sews fashion outfits for them out of old socks now. Sock chic. But she still wants a cell phone. I can see why older generations might not see the value of a phone, because it used to be there were payphones all over the place, and any store would let you use their phone to call a parent if you needed to (at least that's how it was when I was my daughters age). But now - look around. Cell phones are so prevalent that not only are most payphones defunct or removed altogether, most stores also refuse to let you use their phones, on the assumption that someone there would have a cell phone they could loan you instead. I'd much rather let my kid use my cell phone (which I have on occasion) when she goes out with friends, than to have her wandering about asking total strangers to use their phones.
  • JennyLisT
    JennyLisT Posts: 402 Member
    Shouldn't ten year old girls be playing barbies or something instead. :huh:
    Sigh.. kids should be kids.

    toys and interests change with each generation. just because we enjoyed something as kids doesnt mean todays generation does.

    I played with boxes and packing material, just like my mother and her mother before her. I just give thanks that I knew the wonders of bubble wrap.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    bad parenting
  • Not my child therefore not my business... I have a 14, 10, 8, and 5y ear old and none of them have phones, but that is my choice and my kids!! You do you and i'll do me... and i'm with you if someone yelled at my child like that heads would roll!!
  • Alliwan
    Alliwan Posts: 1,245 Member
    Not my child therefore not my business... I have a 14, 10, 8, and 5y ear old and none of them have phones, but that is my choice and my kids!! You do you and i'll do me... and i'm with you if someone yelled at my child like that heads would roll!!

    Im with you! My child wasnt anywhere that she'd need a cell phone to contact me until after she turned 15. IMO 10 year olds arent mature enough to be out 'with their friends' by them selves, no matter how mature you think your child is. If i was divorced adn worried about dad's house..then i might have thought about it earlier.

    that being said, i wouldnt berate someone else's kid for having an iphone...i wouldnt even tell them iphones suck and androids are better, but that's a whole different arguement :laugh:
  • I didnt read other comments, but I think its ok. My niece has one and she was 11 at the time I think. My son is only five and he has an ipad2... I would get him an iphone if he were 10 too. It just depends on how well behaved your child is. I do not believe materialistic items have anything to do with parenting at all. If your daughter deserves it then what does it matter to anyone else. Only you can determine what you spend your money on.
  • AuddAlise
    AuddAlise Posts: 723 Member
    Personally its not a choice I would make for my kids but they're not my child. I may judge the child/parent in my mind but I would never say anything.
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    Why on earth do people seem to dislike ebooks so much?

    I find they are fantastic for traveling where I have to watch my weight in my luggage. I haven't had my battery die or have a book stop working since I got my reader. To be honest, I don't know anyone whose had those sort of issues. That would be like having an ipod touch and having your music fail all the time. It doesn't happen that often. I also have run out of room for storing books. They take up too much space and ebooks are way easier. I can make the font bigger so I don't feel like I'm squinting at tiny print which is awful. There are even different types of ebook readers - some work better in sunlight so yes - you can sit outside reading. I can even read a book at night in the dark as mine is backlit. I download free books that are classics and which are no longer copyrighted. If not for that, I'd have to pay for them which is silly as they are free to the public. There is no author making a profit and the books are from the 1800's. Why should I enjoy The Three Musketeers or some other classic for free?

    As for the crazy professors who hate science fiction, well, I'm sure they are just being elitists. Frankly, if people like Michael Crichton or George Lucas had listened to them they'd be poor as dirt. I think there will always be people who hate science fiction and think it's a waste of time - those same people may have asked why on earth did we even bother going to the moon?

    Actually, the advent of ebooks has made it easier for some author's to publish. Nowadays, it's extremely hard to get your book into print. That's just the way it is. The competition is fierce. With an ebook, you publish your book and you at least make a profit and if it becomes really successful - well who knows - maybe a publisher might take note.
  • missworld95
    missworld95 Posts: 131 Member
    I wouldn't say anything, all I can do is roll my eyes.. I didn't get one until a year ago and I don't even use it that much.
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
    Why on earth do people seem to dislike ebooks so much?

    I don't like them just because I LOVE the feel of a REAL PAPER book in my hands. I don't enjoy reading unless it's an actual book because that's part of the enjoyment. So that's at least my personal opinion on it.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    I am shocked at reading so many people getting their kids these expensive phones/mini pcs at such a young age.

    No offense, but it is a little disturbing.
  • I am shocked at reading so many people getting their kids these expensive phones/mini pcs at such a young age.

    No offense, but it is a little disturbing.

    Really? Disturbing? Over-react much?

    Two things come to mind. One- technology is all around us. Kids use it and are comfortable with it. Heck, hand my four year old my iPhone and he can find his games and music faster than I can. Oh, and even knowing how to use technology he is still creative and has a vivid imagination.

    Two-I have the means to buy him anything I want him to have. If that means an iPhone at 6 then so be it.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    I am shocked at reading so many people getting their kids these expensive phones/mini pcs at such a young age.

    No offense, but it is a little disturbing.

    Really? Disturbing? Over-react much?

    Two things come to mind. One- technology is all around us. Kids use it and are comfortable with it. Heck, hand my four year old my iPhone and he can find his games and music faster than I can. Oh, and even knowing how to use technology he is still creative and has a vivid imagination.

    Two-I have the means to buy him anything I want him to have. If that means an iPhone at 6 then so be it.

    One: I'd be worried that my kid would never get fresh air, could become addicted to where they don't want to play sports, ride bikes, play games, etc

    Two: I never said anything where you couldn't. It was just my opinion like the OP wanted to hear.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    Not my child therefore not my business... I have a 14, 10, 8, and 5y ear old and none of them have phones, but that is my choice and my kids!! You do you and i'll do me... and i'm with you if someone yelled at my child like that heads would roll!!

    Im with you! My child wasnt anywhere that she'd need a cell phone to contact me until after she turned 15. IMO 10 year olds arent mature enough to be out 'with their friends' by them selves, no matter how mature you think your child is. If i was divorced adn worried about dad's house..then i might have thought about it earlier.

    that being said, i wouldnt berate someone else's kid for having an iphone...i wouldnt even tell them iphones suck and androids are better, but that's a whole different arguement :laugh:

    10 is like what? 5th or 6th grade? That's middle school here and when I was in 6th grade I was going over to friends houses after school and doing after school activities. Sometimes soccer practice ended early or band practice ran late or sometimes everyone would want to go out to eat after practice as a last minute decision blah blah blah. Some of you are treating 10 year olds like 5 year olds.

    And people keep saying that because a kid may have a cell phone/ipad/etc that they will never play outside. Who is in control of that? You are as the parent. Come on. I has an Atari, nintendo, super nintendo, Sega, N64, and Playstation by the time I graduated High School. We also got our first computer and the internet when I was a sophomore. I was in band, soccer, track, swim team, dance team, and basketball. I hung out with friends and pretty sure was playing freeze tag until 8pm on school nights. My parents put time restrictions on all of those games/internet usage.

    Phones are just not phones anymore. I don't even have an alarm clock on my night stand anymore because I use my phone. I don't need a giant accounting calculator at my desk because I just use my phone. I've gone without cable in my home for 3 years now because I can watch TV on my phone, check weather, news, etc.

    Soon teachers will just send out mass text messages/emails for homework instead of using paper agendas.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member


    Yes. Kids these days are bad because people object to beating your kids. That's it.

    I forgot discipline = violence. Thanks for reminding me. Sorry, parents, for objecting to your laying your hand on a littler person. I promise not to do it again. After all, you gave birth to the child so clearly you have a right to do anything you like to them, right? I mean, everyone knows kids don't deserve respect.

    Wow, it's going to turn into a spanking debate? Nice. Don't judge my parenting and I won't judge your's.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    Not my child therefore not my business... I have a 14, 10, 8, and 5y ear old and none of them have phones, but that is my choice and my kids!! You do you and i'll do me... and i'm with you if someone yelled at my child like that heads would roll!!

    Im with you! My child wasnt anywhere that she'd need a cell phone to contact me until after she turned 15. IMO 10 year olds arent mature enough to be out 'with their friends' by them selves, no matter how mature you think your child is. If i was divorced adn worried about dad's house..then i might have thought about it earlier.

    that being said, i wouldnt berate someone else's kid for having an iphone...i wouldnt even tell them iphones suck and androids are better, but that's a whole different arguement :laugh:

    10 is like what? 5th or 6th grade? That's middle school here and when I was in 6th grade I was going over to friends houses after school and doing after school activities. Sometimes soccer practice ended early or band practice ran late or sometimes everyone would want to go out to eat after practice as a last minute decision blah blah blah. Some of you are treating 10 year olds like 5 year olds.

    They could just use the phone at their friends to tell you where they are at....
  • ]

    Fair enough. But if any of my future kid's friends don't know what a book is or never held one, I'll weep for this country. "Oh, I never read that book but I liked it on Facebook after reading the synopsis on Wikipedia." *shudder*



    Yes I am saddened that my son will never have the chance to ride in a horse and buggy, read by oil lamp, Have to go to the doctor for a bleeding or a nice set of leaches..... Technology changes.


    As far as e-books... I probrably have near 1000 books in my house. Everything from the classics to sci-fi with lots of scientific texts thrown in. I also have tons of e-books and audio books. they each have their place. I have also never once illegally downloaded a e-book to not pay for it. Being an artist is about the art, not the money. My wife worked many years outside of her craft before we got to a point where she could create full time.

    I am a teacher and I do lament the inability of many students to write... However the amount of information available at their fingertips is staggering.m teaching them how to correctly use it s the key, not fearing it.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    ]

    Fair enough. But if any of my future kid's friends don't know what a book is or never held one, I'll weep for this country. "Oh, I never read that book but I liked it on Facebook after reading the synopsis on Wikipedia." *shudder*



    Yes I am saddened that my son will never have the chance to ride in a horse and buggy, read by oil lamp, Have to go to the doctor for a bleeding or a nice set of leaches..... Technology changes.


    Now who is overreacting?

    E-Books are fine IMO, but phone/internet would be a big no to me
  • I am shocked at reading so many people getting their kids these expensive phones/mini pcs at such a young age.

    No offense, but it is a little disturbing.

    Really? Disturbing? Over-react much?

    Two things come to mind. One- technology is all around us. Kids use it and are comfortable with it. Heck, hand my four year old my iPhone and he can find his games and music faster than I can. Oh, and even knowing how to use technology he is still creative and has a vivid imagination.

    Two-I have the means to buy him anything I want him to have. If that means an iPhone at 6 then so be it.

    One: I'd be worried that my kid would never get fresh air, could become addicted to where they don't want to play sports, ride bikes, play games, etc

    Two: I never said anything where you couldn't. It was just my opinion like the OP wanted to hear.


    What does a phone have to do with any of those things you listed? My sons pants have these things called "pockets" where he will be able to carry his phone while he is doing those things. As long as my son has healthy and active parents to emulate, I am not worried about him becoming a slug.
  • ]

    Fair enough. But if any of my future kid's friends don't know what a book is or never held one, I'll weep for this country. "Oh, I never read that book but I liked it on Facebook after reading the synopsis on Wikipedia." *shudder*



    Yes I am saddened that my son will never have the chance to ride in a horse and buggy, read by oil lamp, Have to go to the doctor for a bleeding or a nice set of leaches..... Technology changes.


    Now who is overreacting?

    E-Books are fine IMO, but phone/internet would be a big no to me

    That's called hyperbole... It's exaggeration used for effect to make a point.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    ]

    Fair enough. But if any of my future kid's friends don't know what a book is or never held one, I'll weep for this country. "Oh, I never read that book but I liked it on Facebook after reading the synopsis on Wikipedia." *shudder*



    Yes I am saddened that my son will never have the chance to ride in a horse and buggy, read by oil lamp, Have to go to the doctor for a bleeding or a nice set of leaches..... Technology changes.


    Now who is overreacting?

    E-Books are fine IMO, but phone/internet would be a big no to me

    That's called hyperbole... It's exaggeration used for effect to make a point.

    +1
  • Rizabees
    Rizabees Posts: 80
    I wouldn't give my 10 year old and iPhone, but it's your child and your money you can spend it however.

    Apparently the conversation switched to e-books. I don't like the idea, but if you want it's your money. I get the convenience of it, I do. But it's not for me. But i like physical books.
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    I would think "Whoa, I can't believe that little girl has an iPhone" and move on. Not my business.

    And I personally think it's crazy for a child to have such an expensive phone. My 9-year old has a cell phone, but it's not a smart phone.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    For me, it's not about a kid owning technological things,
    it's A; being dependent on it
    B; having access to it with little to no parental supervision.
    Texts can be deleted, history on computers can be "deleted" it amazes me how many parents
    don't now how to fetch "deleted" files. Nothing is ever really deleted.
    C; have computers in their rooms.

    We have t-mobile, I can restrict the times they can use their phone,
    how many minutes they can use, and make sure they don't go over their limit.

    When they were in middle school, the oldest would get up super early to use the internet with out
    any sort of supervision, we turned off their access until 10 a.m. I don't hover every little thing they
    look at, it's usually ridiculous, however, some stuff was too mature or over the top, and there is no way I'd let them
    have access in their bedroom where it is so much easier to go look at stuff they shouldn't be. Their computer
    stays in the common area until they're done with HS. They don't have a TV in their room either.

    They have access to all the technology they want, just not privately.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    I would think "Whoa, I can't believe that little girl has an iPhone" and move on. Not my business.

    And I personally think it's crazy for a child to have such an expensive phone. My 9-year old has a cell phone, but it's not a smart phone.


    I think maybe one of those cheap prepaid phones with a certain amount of minutes is alright. If they abuse the 100 minutes or whatever, then they are done.....simple as that. Buying them a phone thats worth hundreds of dollars is a bad idea. I wonder if thieves think about robbing little kids iphones. It would be easy.