Author |
Message |
Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 1:00 pm
I'm with you Nyheat - and I refuse to text. As a matter of fact, it saved me $20 a month on my cell phone bill! I've texted all of three times - and since it was w/my aunt, I didn't mind. However, I refuse to be that accessible to ANYONE! They have my e-mail, my phone number - that's enough!
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Texasdeb
Member
05-23-2003
| Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 5:34 pm
I don't text either. I don't even pay attn. to text msgs I may receive.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 5:45 pm
I do find texting handy where my sis is concerned. If I want her to get a message soon, its the best way. She doesn't check her e-mail every day. And if I call her cell, I don't want to chance waking her up, seeing as my waking hour is usually in the wee hours of the middle of the night. Much easier to just text her and let her see the message when she gets up. Other than that, I don't get much into the obsessive texting teenagers do. Besides, I have to take off my glasses to see the numbers/letters on my phone to text. And yes, it takes me a long time to compose a message. LOL.
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Stormie
Member
03-01-2007
| Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 7:14 pm
My gripe is tabloids using entertainers and sports figures for their own monetary gain. What those people are doing to Sandra Bullock is vicious. Just bc she's an actress, doesn't mean she doesn't have a right to privacy. Show me where in the Constitution of the United States of America, it says celebrities give up their right to privacy! Those rags have also been stalking her step-children at school!!! Who are these rags to say what Sandra B. is feeling or what she should do, since when have they become the big experts on anyone--her life is no one's business but her own. I'm so sick of the lie rags and their holier than though attitude--gossip is not news, therefore, the first amendment doesn't apply to them. Who buys this crap? I hate lie-rags! I also hate texting, but that's another story.
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Chewpito
Member
01-04-2004
| Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 7:28 pm
I have to agree Stormie... How in the world do the tabloids or any one know what a person is thinking........The Tiger Woods thing....and Of course Sandra... We dont know what happens behind closed doors (and we shouldnt, its none of our buisness)..so how can these 'rags' know that....They dont.... it drives me nuts...leave folks alone..... Texting, I dont pay for it....and hate when people text me for stupid stuff.... If its importand that fine....if its my daughter and she works someplace where she cant call me..."thats fine"....but for everything else.....Please..dont!!
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 3:07 am
I'm kind of wondering WRT to texting. My Sis was so HURT last week when I was talking to her. Her lovely little 10 yr old granddaughter that she's done so much with all the kid's life (heck the Grandkids have spent much of their summers w/Grandma here at my house). Kid got a cell phone for her birthday, very early January. During the weekend visit the kid just kept cellphoning & texting. Wasn't interested in talking. They went to a 2nd hand shop (something the kid used to LOVE). Nothing, just more texting. Asked if she was bored? Yes. Did she want to go home? Didn't much care. This is a kid that just last Christmas 3 months ago was having a blast making cookies with Grandma. My personal inclination is that all this texting stuff cuts short the 'interaction & face-to-face social skills'. Grandkid's parents just seem to endlessly buy lots of play toys and gismos because they don't spend a lot of time (like Grandma) with their kids, like a babysitter gismo so the kids can occupy themselves. Just my impression. Anyone have something to add to that discussion? Thought I might mention next time my Sis & I talk, that it might be the issue.
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Rissa
Member
03-19-2006
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 5:35 am
I answered twice, crashed twice. Dang laptop. LOL So this will be short and to the point. IMHO 10 is too young to have unfettered access to a cell phone. Proof is in the way the child is disrespecting a person they love. But since your sister has no control over this and it's too late anyway (since the parents would have signed a contract of some sort), the only option it to put her own rules in place. When they are out somewhere the phone is to be kept in their pocket or purse and turned off. If your sister doesn't want to deal with the pouting this will cause then this is my suggestion: As soon as the child begins texting tell your sister to stop dead in her tracks and just stand and watch the child type. Your sister should tell her that what she is doing must to important so she is happy to wait until she is done. When she is done typing, start walking again only to stop dead and stare again when she begins responding to yet another text. Do that a few times and the kid should get the point. She should also speak to the girl's parents about reinforcing some common phone manners. At the same time, tell sis to stop taking it personally!! LOLOL
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 6:00 am
It's probably a good thing we don't have kids or grand kids because they'd probably think we were horrible. We see neighborhood children of all ages walking around with a cell phone stuck to their head or in their hands obviously texting. I don't know what age we'd give in but it certainly wouldn't be at 10! Of course we always joke that if we had a daughter she'd be locked in her room until she was at least 30 so we're kind of old fashioned. 
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 6:19 am
My nephew's daughter is 13 and got a cell phone for those, you know, emergencies <eye roll>. What he does periodically though, is tells her to hand him the phone (while she's busy texting away), and he reads back through her texts with her friends. He says that HE pays the bill and HE is responsible for her. She doesn't seem to mind those random checks though, because she isn't doing anything bad or talking to people she doesn't know well. He can also access her texting times and such on the internet through their Verizon account, so he knows she isn't using the phone during school hours or later at night. I think my nephew is doing the exact right thing, he is protecting her while giving her wings (albeit clipped wings).
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Rissa
Member
03-19-2006
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 6:35 am
We have the same rule Huk and it works great. Both cell phone and computer. They (the dds) are not allowed to delete anything, clear history, etc. If they do then assumption is that they are covering something up and access gets taken away temporarily. We also put them on very ltd prepaid plans so they are forced to self-monitor their usage because when the prepaid amount is used up, the phone just stops working until the next month begins. We got burned too often with above and beyond charges when we had them on regular contract. The first month after we switched to the prepaid my (now)21 yr old's phone stopping working on the 5th. RFLOL The 5th!! So she had no phone for 26 days. The second month I think she made it to the early 20's but now they never go over.
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Dfennessey
Member
07-25-2004
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 6:36 am
My brother and sil got my nephew a prepaid cell phone a few years ago because he was going to a summer program at a local college for 6 weeks (he actually lived on campus Monday night through Friday afternoon) he never uses the phone so they are not concerned with him
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 11:06 am
Both my kidlets have pre-paid cell phones. Caleb has three extracirricular activies going on right now and sometimes walks home. Never quite sure when he'll be ready to be picked up at school or if he'll decide to walk with his buddies. Dakota's back in softball and while one of us is there most the time (both Darren and bil are helping coach the team this year) that's not always the case and we like her having the cell to call. Dakota went over her minutes once (between fall and spring ball) calling her friends and had to wait til spring ball started again to get more minutes. Hasn't done it again. Caleb ran out of minutes right before Spring break started...we hadn't put any minutes on his phone since January though, his was used for the come pick me up or I'm walking home calls. I'll have to get him a new card this week. Funny thing is with them on Spring break, we haven't even used our phones. Dakota's is in her bat bag in the trunk of the car, Caleb's is in his gig bag, and mines on the table completely dead cuz I havne't bothered charging it in a week. Darren and I use are cell phones only when neccessary and we've worked hard to teach the kids their cells aren't a new body part growing out of the side of their heads. We have rules for them...no texting, if they're home they use the house phone, and no giving the phone numbers out except if needed (several of the kids friends parents have their cell numbers.) It drives me nuts to have someone stop an in person conversation to take a cell phone call when it's something that could wait or kids to go glossy eyed when they're cell beeps an incoming text message. I've got kids, an elderly aunt, and a husband that works odd hours, I understand those neccessary phone calls, it's the calls that could wait til later that makes me nuts.
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Dfennessey
Member
07-25-2004
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 11:50 am
I have a prepaid cellphone only because I do not use a cell phone enough to have a plan. I do not like phones anyways (probably because I am on the phone all day at work) and got it just for an emergancy.
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Dipo
Member
04-23-2002
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 1:13 pm
Since cell phones for kids are for emergencies and to phone parents, shouldn't they be turned off and put away until needed. I feel the same way about adults, nothing it that urgent, except for children and true emergencies, that it can't wait until you get home. Then there is no problem with being on the phone in the car, disturbing people in resturants and stores, etc. A simple solution that most aren't interested in. We need to take the immediate gratification expectation from the kids, so that they have a little patience and can set priorties on when the need to be on the cell phone. I also see this problem at work, people think it is more important to respond to friends texts and phone calls than do their work.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 2:02 pm
Our school gave up the rule about no cells at school, but they are not allowed to have them turned on during school hours and if caught will have them taken away. Caleb's very careful to keep his off and not turn it on until school is over. Dipo, that's exactly the way I feel about cells. If mine rings, I check the number. Kid, aunt, sis or Darren, I excuse myself and answer it and make it quick. Anything else can wait. If I'm driving, I don't even look at it til I stop and if its important (kids/aunt) I'll stop and call back. I will use it in the store if I'm trying to figure out what I need to buy at home though, lol. I do like having the cell for kid stuff and family emergencies but honestly most the time it's just a hassle. Outside of them, there's nothing important enough it can't wait til I get home to return a phone call.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 2:08 pm
I know with Verizon you can control the hours of the day the phone is on. You can also control who your child can call, how many minutes on your family plan they are allotted, etc.
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Stormie
Member
03-01-2007
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 2:12 pm
How about gramma tell the parents when the grankids visit, leave the cellphone at home. Technology is a wonderful thing, but when it starts impeding on human interaction, then it needs to be curtailed. We control technology and how much kids use it, not the other way around.
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Y2krazy
Member
09-17-2002
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 2:54 pm
We got the computer when DS was 11. We told him we would and could walk in at any time to see what he was doing on the computer and that we could check later what he had done...even if he tried to erase it. He never did visit any place that I would have not wanted him to visit. Both DH and I had cellphones when DS was teenager. I lent him my phone when he was out for evening...more for my sake than his, I wanted to be able to contact him! I had no texting on my phone, so he couldn't do that. He only used the phone to call me or a few of his friends when he was trying to find out where they were. No problems at all. When he moved to Banff, Ab. at the age of 20, he got himself a cell phone. I know he texts and calls...it's his only phone now. But his chequing account is still joint with me, so I know how much he is spending on it....and it's really quite reasonable. He has commented on how rude some people are with their phones...it makes me think he is conscious of when he is using his...excusing himself to take a call..not texting incessantly.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 3:00 pm
Does he know mom is checking is checking account? LOL. Jk
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Y2krazy
Member
09-17-2002
| Monday, March 29, 2010 - 3:04 pm
In addition to my previous post, DH and DS text each other from time to time...because of long distance charges, it's free for them to text to each other's cell. DS can call our home land-line for free as well. But sometimes we want to get in touch-get a message to him, and it's not an appropriate time. We're on Eastern Time and he's on Mountain Time. But that's only occasionally.
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Biscottiii
Member
05-29-2004
| Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 2:25 am
Thanks folks for the many great ideas! Yes, I agree that for many kids it's much needed in order to be picked up or to check in at times. But, it just doesn't seem good when an early 10yr old has it taking over every waking hour. That's an age where speaking & social skills are being formed. (I might add that this child had major difficulty learning to talk, she has had to take a lot of special assistance classes the past several years to be able to speak and be understood. So I can understand that texting would be an easier fallback instead of having to have one-on-one conversations.) I am going to suggest that she might want to ask that the cellphone is turned off or left at home. Don't know if that will work, but at least I'm going to suggest.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 10:23 am
How about when she comes to visit Grandma, she gives the phone to Grandma, who carries it in her pocket in case a call comes in from the parents? Then give it back to her when she goes home.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 11:00 am
Juju, you are being to logical. Bad Dawg! Bad!
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Southern_grits
Member
10-08-2009
| Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 11:30 am
It would probably make her resent Grandma unless it's the parent's 'idea' and they 'make' Grandma enforce it. I got tired of cell phone texting when my dgd were here at Christmas too, and am also tired of dgs's video games. There's less incentive to do things with Grandma anymore, even if the incentive is just boredom. DGS used to want me to teach him to cook and help with the dishes and at least once a day would crawl up in my lap and challenge me to tell him a story, then would tell me one. Now I can't pull him away from his video games.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 11:32 am
We have a rule. No texting in the car, at the dinner table or when someone is trying to have a conversation with you. I swear, my sister, who is 16, doesn't know how to get to the end of the block because anytime we go somewhere, she is texting constantly and has no idea where we are going or how we go there.
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