Why should DC have a phone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is trying to convince me to get him an iPhone, but not sure if it is actually helpful. He is going into 9th grade to a math/science school.

Why not a simple flip phone? More than enough for voice and text, and little/ no distractions

Because it's hard to text on a flip phone and no one in high school has them anymore. Kid sounds like a good kid. Don't punish him by forcing a flip phone on him!

Oh, the horror!!!!! Next it will be buy him a new car. Don't punish him by forcing him to drive some sad ass old hooptie to school!"

OP here. We actually told him that he will be expected to buy his own car. We will cover other expenses like insurance, cover the down payment, and use our credit to pull out a loan- but he is responsible of repairs, monthly payments, etc.

The thing is that we want DS to be prepared for the real world and to respect money.

Why would you want your high school kid to buy his own car and have a monthly loan and pay for repairs. That makes no sense. If anything, you buy the car and he pay for gas and insurance.

Ugh, because that's what my parents had me do? I found it amusing last year when one of my DD's friends asked what kind of car we were buying my DD? I said, whatever car she can make the monthly payment on from her part-time job. I did it and my sister did it. Otherwise, there is the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is trying to convince me to get him an iPhone, but not sure if it is actually helpful. He is going into 9th grade to a math/science school.

Why not a simple flip phone? More than enough for voice and text, and little/ no distractions

Because it's hard to text on a flip phone and no one in high school has them anymore. Kid sounds like a good kid. Don't punish him by forcing a flip phone on him!

Oh, the horror!!!!! Next it will be buy him a new car. Don't punish him by forcing him to drive some sad ass old hooptie to school!"

OP here. We actually told him that he will be expected to buy his own car. We will cover other expenses like insurance, cover the down payment, and use our credit to pull out a loan- but he is responsible of repairs, monthly payments, etc.

The thing is that we want DS to be prepared for the real world and to respect money.

Why would you want your high school kid to buy his own car and have a monthly loan and pay for repairs. That makes no sense. If anything, you buy the car and he pay for gas and insurance.

Ugh, because that's what my parents had me do? I found it amusing last year when one of my DD's friends asked what kind of car we were buying my DD? I said, whatever car she can make the monthly payment on from her part-time job. I did it and my sister did it. Otherwise, there is the bus.

A kid does not need a car at 16. They can share yours. However, its tacky to expect you kid to borrow another child's phone when other parents or that child is paying for it. With a pay-as-you go, they could be paying per minute so why should someone else foot the bill so you don't have to?

[Anonymous]

There is a difference between a need and a want and the line is not always easy to see. If my kid has a need and I can afford it, I fulfill that need. A few years ago a smartphone was not a need, it was a want. These says a smartphone is becoming a need in terms of how people communicate, even in an academic setting. In your case it sounds like DS has a legit need to have a communication device. What kind of device really depends on what you are willing to provide. If I were you, I would give him a low cost smartphone or an old smartphone. That would fulfill the need. The want would be "mom I want the new iphone 6 and not your old iphone". In that case then DS should save up the money to buy the new iphone 6.