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

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Replies

  • capnwo85
    capnwo85 Posts: 1,103 Member
    I would think she has pretty cool parents and mind my own business. I would've killed for a iPhone when I was 10, instead I got a Ghostbusters inflatable proton pak. Awesome in it's own mind, but not quite as good.
  • MoreThanMommie
    MoreThanMommie Posts: 597 Member
    I think that is too young to have a phone, but I wouldn't say anything about it. I sure as heck wouldn't berate the child for it. Simply uncalled for.

    ^This.
  • cheercoach80
    cheercoach80 Posts: 45
    My children are 15 & 12. They both have iPhones (hubby & I have Android phones). We are in a neighborhood in a rural area. In this day and age I would not feel comfortable with them running around the 'hood' to & from friends houses if I could not reach them.. usually if they are running around out front I will sot on tje porchn& read to keep an eye. There are an unreal amount of children in my neighborhood who are completely unsupervised. They do insanely stupid &##!? That will probably end up with me helping them home with a broken or bloody something. We try to keep an eye on them & discuss safety with them. They are not allowed to use any of our stuff without helmets regardless that they do not use them on their own.

    My children know that hubby & I can check any text messages @ anytime. If they erase their history they lose the phone. At night they are plugged in to charge in the kitchen.

    We had huge school bus issues @ the beginning of last year & if my daughter didn't have a phone we would not have known she was ok. Bus deiver got lost. Well over an hour late. The school had no clue. Parents of kids with phones were letting parents of kids without know.

    You cannot be too careful. Turn on tje news. How many missing children are they talking about. I knlw a phone won't keep my child 100% safe but I feel that knlwing I can reach them is important or more important they csn reach me in an emergency.

    I agree 100% anything you can do to better monitor your child's safety is a bonus and as long as there are restrictions in place, then it's an asset to your family. My oldest got her first phone at 7 years old (it was a used bb that I no longer needed on pay per use basis) because she had been sexually assaulted on her way home from school by a 16 year old boy on the bus. The bus driver told her to stop screaming, without looking to see what was going on, and had she had a phone that day it might not have stopped the incident but it could've prevented some of the damage caused afterwards when he emotionally tortured her the other 20 minutes on the bus (her total ride is 1.5 hours) until he got off (threatening to kill her if she told anyone, etc).... She could've called me, her father, her grandparents, 9-1-1, anyone for help really instead of living through the rest of that nightmare! She has since proved to be very responsible with her phone and has since been given a monthly plan to talk to her friends (all of which have their own cell/ smart phones) and text them. The phone is shut off at bed time and left in the living room and is off during school hours (short of another emergency).
  • TheAnie
    TheAnie Posts: 180 Member
    Ten years ago I babysat a ten year old with what then was a top of the line phone. When I was 16 I thought it was BS that this kid who lost everything got a tiny expensive phone and I didn't have one. And then I grew up. It's not my business what sort of phone a parent determines that their kid needs. Will my ten year old(when I have one) own whatever the expensive top of the line phone of the time is? Probably not. But they will likely own a phone that texts and calls and that's about it. Because that's the society we live in. And I honestly don't see what the big deal is. As long as you teach kids what is and isn't appropriate and when they should and should not use their phones.

    As for that person who confronted your daughter? Sounds like they have a lot of growing up to do.
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Thanks Everyone...i appreciate the thoughts and comments.


    The phone is for her safety and it's closely monitored by myself. She does not have restrictions on it, but she's never misused it, misplaced or or abused her privileges.

    The main reason she has an iPhone is because *I* have an iPhone and as a result when she's with her father and not with me, we can Facetime. Which makes me feel more at ease and makes her feel more at ease.

    Thanks again.

    Lauren

    That's all that matters.
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 810 Member
    I wouldn't make a single comment, it is none of my business if it is theirs or if they are playing with their parents.


    Honestly I would be jealous, cause I don't got one:grumble:


    If I have kids they will have phones as soon possible, the kind that can only call me or emergency numbers, when I know they wont call 911 for the heck of it. But by ten they will have regular phones.
    I would want my kids to be able to call me at any time they need me, bus for school doesn't show up, strangers approaching them, fell and got hurt, or what ever reason they have. Having a phone is about safety, an iphone may be a bit much but I think all kids should have phones.
  • moxiecowgirl
    moxiecowgirl Posts: 291 Member
    It's not my call what parenting decisions you make in regards to your child's phone use, so it really doesn't matter what my opinion might be. That person was completely out of line to berate you and your child.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Would you b*tch her out for it? Assume it wasn't her phone?

    Would you think her parents were too permissive?

    Would you say anything or make any judgements at all?

    My daughter just texted me to let me know that someone just gave her hell for "playing with her parents iPhone" when she told them it was HER phone, they then, IN FRONT OF HER, made some rather derogatory comments about my parenting choices and how permissive parents make bad children.

    I almost wish I was there so I could give that person a piece of my mind.

    Lauren

    I've seen this happen before...the kid was using her phone to sauce another friend about how she shouldn't talk to a mutual friend they had or she was going to stop talking to her lol...so I kinda agreed with the person at the time lol. If the kid was being a little snot then yes, I'd make some judgement. Otherwise I probably wouldn't notice they were on the phone.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    It's nobody's business, but I would be thinking she is probably spoiled by parents with too much money.:wink:
  • MizzDoc
    MizzDoc Posts: 493 Member
    I think that is too young to have a phone, but I wouldn't say anything about it. I sure as heck wouldn't berate the child for it. Simply uncalled for.

    This.

    Second this.

    Third this!
  • WickedBean
    WickedBean Posts: 244 Member
    Nope, never know the circumstances someone is in. Really I don't think its anyone's business for yours no matter how old the child is.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
    please teach your child to take a photo of these type of jerk faces in the future.

    if her actions arent harming her or others around her, there's no reason for an adult to approach her like that, especially when another adult isn't around.
  • going2befit4ever
    going2befit4ever Posts: 225 Member
    my kids all had cell phones living in the boonies it made sense when they were out and about i knew exactly where they were and when my son fell off his bike knocking himself out and breaking his tailbone his friends none of whom had cells could call for help,

    also when they missed the bus we knew and could walk and meet them, and they had no excuse to not call home and checking in. depending on their age it may be a cast off but it worked, for babysitters too taking the younger ones out, back then not all of them had a phone i felt safer knowing i could contact one or all of them if needed.
  • nabak147112
    nabak147112 Posts: 105 Member
    i wouldnt say anything...my oldest got her 1st phone when she was 9... and each year i get her a better one as long as shes 'earned it'
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    If you listen to my now 21, 19, 14 & 12 year olds they were the ONLY kids in 6th grade without a cell phone let alone an iphone. Of course the iphone wasn't out when the oldest were in 6th grade. I, PERSONALLY, think it's not the best choice to give a child an iphone or droid. Even if they use their Christmas money to buy it. They just have no idea the level of responsibility associated with that phone. ALL my kids (except the 6 year old who won't have a phone for many many years) have to pay their monthly bills. They use their allowance, paychecks, birthday money, etc. I want them to learn to be responsible with that monthy obligation.

    All that being said, I would go nuts on someone for tearing into my kid over a decision that was clearly MINE. I have friends whose 10, 11, 12 year olds have iphones. I don't say a word. Not my place. But if I did feel the urge to say something it would be to the parent(s) not the kid!! Geesh. Some people just don't understand boundaries!
  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    I think that person should have kept their opinion to themselves.

    I don't think cell phones are inherently evil. It's up to the parent to teach the child what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to technology.

    If a parent uses features like...

    *Blocking texting and calling EXCEPT FOR PARENT during school hours would allow their child to learn and focus

    *Using online access to the phone to see what their child is texting

    *Regularly reviewing pictures that are sent to make sure the child isn't receiving anything inappropriate

    *Downloading apps like dictionary or maps can be useful - some teachers (like me) allow the use of dictionary features because our schools have limited budgets for dictionaries

    *Audio versions of novels children are reading in school to improve comprehension (yes - I've seen this happening more and more in my classes)

    These are acceptable uses and some interesting practices parents use. It's up to the parent what they want to do.


    Now in school, iphones or any phone can be a big problem if they distract your child. I've seen it where I have to ask over and over and end up talking to a parent as their sons/daughters grades drop. That's where I worry. They are more interesting in texting a friend and gossiping. I've had kids break down and suddenly cry because their boyfriends broke up with them on the phone! Yep. This happens and they do hide them really well and can check when the teacher turns.

    But, it's entirely up to the parent to monitor/educate their kids about iphones/phones. Kids need to learn the constraints of phones when it comes to work so it's good they learn right from the start. They need to be aware that texting/talking on the phone isn't acceptable all of the time. I do like that they can be used for safety (GPS kid location available) and kids can call 911 for help. We've had a bunch of girls who got followed this year and multiple warnings of predators. I can guarantee that having a cell phone to dial 911 in those situations is helpful.

    Phones can be tools, safety networks, or nuisances - it's up to the parent.

    As for what they did, that's ridiculous. They shouldn't have said anything as your daughter is not their child. That's just wrong. They are not the parent of your child. They had no business saying anything to your daughter. It's not like your daughter was calling the hounds of hell to invade earth or hacking into the local missile silo system. They were just annoyed that she had an iphone (probably jealous).
  • bekkihotmomma
    bekkihotmomma Posts: 14 Member
    my daughter has a phone and has since she was 10....she spends the summer with her dad and i want to be able to talk with her wothout having to deal with him and its nice when she is at her friends house i always now where she is....people have said things to my daughter to she tells them now to call me if they have an issue...lol....really come on i had a pager growin up so that my mom could find me...tech has just gotten better...
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
    My son was a toddler when Columbine happened. That changed things.

    Sept. 11 people called and left messages when they knew the worst was happening. That changed things.

    I went to work with civilly commited sex offenders, with committed "Mentally Ill and dangerous" people. That changed things.

    No one should ***** out a child or criticize their parents in front of them. We all make our choices and do the best we can with what we have. I'm truly seething on your behalf.

    On a more important note, good for you for doing your best, and also checking to see if you're maybe off base (I sometimes am). You are the mom your child needs.
  • nutandbutter
    nutandbutter Posts: 447
    I wouldn't say anything.

    I didn't when one of my daughters kindergarten classmates came to her 6th birthday party with his iphone.

    I also didn't say anything when his mom came to pick him up and called him to come in from playing outside instead of going to get him.

    Did I laugh my *kitten* off after they left? Absolutely.
  • carolynmittens
    carolynmittens Posts: 344
    man i still rock a flip phone. with no internet. sometimes i feel like a paraplegic.

    i know a 3 year old with his own ipad. the new one! :noway:

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