Today I did something I swore I would never do. I bought a cell phone for my 8 year old. I know what you're thinking because I am thinking it myself.
Here's the justification: Cameron and Ethan may have to walk by themselves to school from time to time this year, and I have always been the kind of person who worries about the worst possible scenario. I know that by sending my kids 3 blocks away on their own, they will be offered candy, hit by a car, attacked by rabid dogs and abducted all in one day. I would feel a lot better about letting them walk if they could call me when they got there, or heck, why not just talk to me the whole way? Yeah, that sounds good.
So Cameron will soon, (when Saturday's mail arrives), be the proud new owner of a cell phone that I promised myself I would not give any child of mine until they were at least 14. Preferably 16. Or never.
So do I think that this is a ridiculous thing to buy for a child? Absolutely. Do I feel better about letting the boys walk 3 blocks without me? Yeah. So worth it.
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4 comments:
So long as it's one of those phones where he can only dial home and your cell phone and you track hime with the GPS. :)
Yes, I can use parental controls to prevent texting, sexting, picture messaging, who he can call, etc... We will not be telling him his own phone number so he can't give it to anyone, (unless we think of a good reason to). So the only thing it doesn't have is the GPS, so we're thinking of having some of those microchips planted under their skin so in the event of an abduction we can track him... OK, maybe not that, but I have to say, it doesn't sound so bad. The real stinker of the situation is that even after upgrading Andrew's and my phone yesterday, Cameron's will still be the best of all the phones. I think we'll be switching some SIM cards!
I've often wondered why the Microchipping they do with dogs can't also be done with children - seems like the world would be a safer place. LOL! :)
It's really hard for me to let my boys walk , too. But I decided long ago that I would not take away "regular" childhood experiences just because there's some risk (like how my MIL thinks we shouldn't have the trampoline, which has a safety net). Obviously, I am as careful as any paranoid mother can possibly be, but I don't want to pass on my phobias to my kids. I will admit, though, that there have been times when I called the school in the morning to have them check and make sure my kids are there! But now they ride their bikes, so I can just drive past and see if their bikes are there. Which I do. Fairly often.
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