I tell my husband all the time how uncanny it is that our 11 year old daughter, Chey, acts exactly like our 3 year old daughter. Both whine to get what they want. Both cry and get upset when they hear the word, “No!” Both have to be told repeatedly to do something, ie. pick up your clothes, put up your bowl, leave your sister alone. You know, all those daily “mom-isms.” : ) Whatever it may be … parenting them seems to require the exact same discipline (go to your room for a timeout) and the same love (a hug afterwards to stop the sulking and assure them that we still love them even though they did something wrong).
Well, imagine the drama when my sister bought her daughter, a year younger than Chey, a cell phone for Christmas! Now, she got her daughter a phone because she walks home everyday alone from school and stays home for at least 2 hours without an adult home (and she’s not allowed to call ANYONE except in emergencies … so the phone really never gets used). Ok … understandable. But, try explaining this to my daughter … who had been BEGGING for a phone for at least 6 months prior! She had all the arguments down to perfection … we just were not giving in. Then, about 2 weeks ago her best friend got a cell phone! UGH! Now what to do?!
It seemed as though everyone but Chey had a cell phone, and she let us know daily! (Now, we didn’t get her the phone because everyone else had one … it just seemed as though she had
become responsible enough and the time was right.) We began looking, and decided the best deal would be to simply add her to our plan (it’s only an extra $10/month) … rather than try any of the phones geared specifically towards children. (I had read everything I could about all types of phones and the pros and cons of getting one for this age, etc.) My husband, always needing the best and newest in technology, refused to get one of the free phones offered with the plan, but went for the Pink Motorola Razr V3m. We ordered it without our daughter knowing … and then waited for its delivery so we could spring it on her!The day the phone came it was nice outside … so luckily for me, the kids were all out back playing, so they didn’t know the FedEx truck came by! I took the box and went to my bathroom with it … my place of sanctity! I opened it up, put the battery in, and began charging it and getting it activated. I knew we had to take a ride to the airport that evening to pick up my parents from their Las Vegas trip, who were the only other ones who knew about the phone since I had to consult my mom on the idea, so I wanted her to be able to get familiar with it while we were on the road. Once my husband got home, we had to dress everyone for the ride to the airport, so we hurriedly got everything together so we could give Chey her phone before we left.
I boxed everything back up and gave my husband the phone. He pretty much through it into her lap and waited for her to tear it open. But, first she had to listen to a list of “stipulations” that went with her new gift! Now, my son, only 9 years old, was a bit saddened by the fact that he didn’t get one … c’mon now, if Chey waited until 11, he can too! Plus, seriously, who does he talk to? Anyways … that’s another blog … “momma’s boys!”
So, she has her pink Razr that she carries with her EVERYWHERE! To the bathroom, to bed, to church … wherever she is, there her phone will be also! She knows that the best time to talk to her friends “out-of-network” is after 7pm and on weekends. Thankfully, most of our friends and family have Verizon, so we are all “in.” My husband and I were only using around 250 minutes a month, so we figured she has plenty of room for talking with the 700 Minute Family Share Plan! And, text and picture messaging are not allowed! I’ve heard some definite horror stories about text messaging with this age group! Plus, I think the best part about the phone is the leverage it gives me! “If you don’t clean your room, the phone is mine!” : )
You can read more about Chey at her blog here.
Blessings,
Staci
Labels: cell phones, drama, preteen, preteen girls, tweens