Mobile phone...

DD1 is only 8, & I have no intentions of getting her a mobile, but the thought has crossed my mind a few times.
We are in a small town & I do let her walk to friends houses & walk down the street with friends on occasion. Its not a frequent thing & there are a few times where she's stuffed up & had to earn back that priveledge again, but its when she does these silly things I've thought it'd be so much easier if I could just ring her, find out whats going on & tell her to get her little backside home!

I always said high school. No way before that. But the thought of just having a prepaid, that I can ring her on, is so tempting. Am I mad? There was once where she left school for a friends house without me knowing. Another friend rang me & told me what was going on & I went looking & couldn't find her.

One of her closest friends is a year older than her, but is allowed to do alot more than I allow DD to do. When she is there she'll ring & ask to go for walks & stuff. I don't mind the walks, but I'm not impressed later when I find out our 8 & 9 year old girls were hanging out at the park with no adult supervision! For an hour or more. I thought it was get chips & take them home.

These things don't happen very often. Everyone else with kids the same age are less strict with this stuff than I am, as they all grew up here & feel it is safer than I think it is. Its a holiday destination. They are more careful during holiday times when the town is busy, but people come in & out of town all year round.

I don't know. I think I'd like her to have one, so she can ring me if she ever gets into trouble. Even if its just walking or riding home from school (even though she usually catches the bus), but I really don't consider it to be age appropriate til they are in high school.

What age was your child when they got their first mobile? I know they are getting them young these days. Some DD's age do have one, but I don't agree with it. I think 12 is young only thought that would be a good age as chances are DD would be catching a bus at least 20 minutes away for school. Maybe thats being over protective, lol... Most of us travelled an hour or more to school & survived without a mobile!

It's tricky......I think as a 'lifeline' its good! There's ways of making it an ONLY emergency thing. Get her a 3310 haha that way she can only call, get called and play snake at the most lol

Lol, thats what will be happening. No internet access or any of the other extra's. My current phone doesn't even have games!

8 is very young BUT mobiles are part of life nowdays. Technology can be our best friend and our worst enermy. I think doing it 'smartly' could very well keep your DD out of danger.

A new 'wizzbang' phone my take her TO danger, so :wall:

What about getting a kid's phone? Rather than it being just for her, it can be considered to be a phone for the kids to use when they're leaving the house for any amount of time. If they stay with their Nan or someone, they can take the phone and feel all responsible. That way it isn't just your eldest DD's and it will be a significant thing when she gets her very own phone one day.

I like that idea Lisa.

there are phones u can get for kids rnt there that have only like a few buttons and u preset like 3 numbers into it or something. maybe look at one of those. lol i knwo not much info but i know i seen them awhile ago.

I asked my DS(10yrs) to hold my phone the other day and he says"I cant wait to have my own phone" I nearly fell over!!!
I said who would you ring he says "don't know but at least i could If i wanted too" :o
So I have between now and december to decide if I want my baby boy to have his own phone(as a birthday present) :o

I don't plan on giving one to my DD till she is 14, maybe 15..when she can work part time and pay for her own sms' and calls. My niece started school at a different town to where she is now, and her 5 and 6 year old classmates had mobiles. She came home wanting one like everyone else :o

I like sassy's suggestion. I'm sure I've seen something like this too. I think a friend of mine bought one for her DD for when she walked across the road and directly down the street to school.

Even if you give her one, it doesn't mean she will answer when you call, which could potentially worry you even more. But, she may find it so cool to have her own phone that she will be dying to answer and talk to you hey :)

Yeah i agree with Dedicated Mummy- get her something that she cant use for anything else, there is blocks u can get etc so its only u she can contact etc

i agree its young for a phone but not if it will give u piece of mind and if it has restrictions on it

I was never allowed to have a mobile phone until I had a job and could purchase and pay for the credit myself. In the meantime, mum and dad would lend me their mobile phone if I was out and about so I could get in contact with them if needed and they could call to check in, kwim? I think for an 8yo that's probably a sufficient solution at least some of the time? I dunno, I've got a while to go before I have to start thinking about kids and mobiles lol, but I definitely don't want my kids to have Crackberries in prep lol ;)

I was always a big believer in not until high school but I caved and got DD2 one last Christmas, she was just 10. She is on a prepaid and has been very sensible with it, its mainly for when she is out with friends and having sleepovers etc.
We bought it from Aus post shop and it cost $45 with $50 of prepaid AND a bottle of Brittney Spears perfume which she gave to her older sister.

Thanks guys. I really like the idea of the emergency phone. I only plan on having the same numbers saved on it as I have on the list thats next to our house phone for her.
Might be something I consider for christmas, or her birthday next year or the year after.