Should My Tween Have a Cell Phone? Ask Delaney Ruston, MD.
As a parent and a grandmother plus a retired teacher, now a sub, I am very concerned with how little…
For now, our kids can borrow mine…
My son wants a smartphone in the worst way. And no wonder. His best friend received one for his thirteenth birthday. He gets asked frequently by his 7th-grade peers why he doesn’t have a cell phone, so the pressure is real. Topping his list of reasons he should have one? So he doesn’t have to borrow someone else’s to call for a ride home. He feels embarrassed.
It’s never easy in middle school, on the cusp of or in the throes of puberty, trying to navigate your place in the crowd. Especially when your status in that crowd is dictated in part by the material. And the material these days goes beyond the “right” athletic shoes, clothes and music players (remember the first kid you knew to own a CD player? Or, to date myself…a portable cassette player???). Now our kids covet seven-hundred-dollar mobiles. In our son’s case, it’s a Google Pixel 2.
In my husband’s and my case, it’s a no-go.
Every family has their reasons for or against their children having smartphones and no matter your stance on the issue, this article is one every parent should read:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/opinions/smartphones-middle-school-opinion-ruston/index.html
My son is going to be so disappointed.
Their IPods are five years old! Dinosaurs, actually. But it’s just not the right time for smartphones.
As a parent and a grandmother plus a retired teacher, now a sub, I am very concerned with how little time students spend actually communicating face to face. Part of growing up is learning how to talk to others, how to read body language, etc. in other words, what makes us social animals. Children, using phones, are not learning these skills and to me, it is just a little scary.
I am also sad to see how many students are bring bullied on their electronic devices. TOO MANY!!!!!!!!!!
Parents, if your child has a cell phone and/or other electronic devices, please check that device without notice, IT MAY SAVE YOUR CHILD’S LIFE. As parents, it is our job to keep our kids safe, even if they are taller than we are and think that you have no right invade their privacy.