How many 6th graders will have phones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 6th grader has a flip phone that we got at the beginning of the year. He never answers it and only uses it if he gets locked out of the house. I really want to put off a smart phone as long as possible, but he's gunning for one for 7th grade. I'm hoping to wait until he's 13, which would be the end of 7th grade for him.

I put a numeric lock on the house. Never locked out again.

They don't want easy solutions, just to complain.

[Anonymous]

Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m told “everyone” gets them after fifth grade graduation. Public school in Potomac. My kids are younger so I can’t verify.

My son had one earlier because of sports practice. I think that rule of thumb sounds about right since that is about the age kids start being more independent. No one does middle school aftercare.

A phone doesn’t mean the latest iPhone with unlimited data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

-1000

My kid has a phone. This is not a big deal. Is it selfish or petty?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

-1000

My kid has a phone. This is not a big deal. Is it selfish or petty?

Agree, I can't imagine having a problem with helping another kid get a message to/from a parent in an emergency. My child has a gizmo, not a phone, but in a sports emergency (early cancellation due to lightning), he called and let me know which parents needed to be reached and I directly called them. It's just helping out other moms and I can't fathom why it would be a hardship, just like you lend someone a quarter.

[Anonymous]

My 7th grader has a flip phone for emergencies and an iPad which he uses for messaging with friends at home. He will get an iPhone in HS.

FWIW, I would not hesitate to have DS lend his phone to a friend to let him call a parent. Geez.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 7th grader has a flip phone for emergencies and an iPad which he uses for messaging with friends at home. He will get an iPhone in HS.

FWIW, I would not hesitate to have DS lend his phone to a friend to let him call a parent. Geez.

I wouldn't either but I don't appreciate parents who roll their eyes or tut-tut about how awful it is that middle schoolers have phones until they need to reach their kid and then depend on those kids with bad parents who let their kids have phones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

-1000

My kid has a phone. This is not a big deal. Is it selfish or petty?

Agree, I can't imagine having a problem with helping another kid get a message to/from a parent in an emergency. My child has a gizmo, not a phone, but in a sports emergency (early cancellation due to lightning), he called and let me know which parents needed to be reached and I directly called them. It's just helping out other moms and I can't fathom why it would be a hardship, just like you lend someone a quarter.

No one complains about the emergencies. The complaint is about regular use or putting someone out (you have to find the kid, relay messages when not together) when there is no emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine has a flip phone because she walks home from the bus by herself.

I know some middle schoolers with non-smart phones (Bethesda/Rockville) but I'd like to know how prevalent this is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

-1000

My kid has a phone. This is not a big deal. Is it selfish or petty?

Agree, I can't imagine having a problem with helping another kid get a message to/from a parent in an emergency. My child has a gizmo, not a phone, but in a sports emergency (early cancellation due to lightning), he called and let me know which parents needed to be reached and I directly called them. It's just helping out other moms and I can't fathom why it would be a hardship, just like you lend someone a quarter.

No one complains about the emergencies. The complaint is about regular use or putting someone out (you have to find the kid, relay messages when not together) when there is no emergency.

This. If phones genuinely were only used in urgent situations, I don’t think anyone would complain about them. That would be like having really ubiquitous phone booths and everyone having a quarter.

[Anonymous]

In our middle school many 6th graders do not have phones. Many do also, of course. There has been no issue with not having one. Our kid has a watch they can send limited texts from and they can call pre-approved people from so we use that when he wants to do things after school, needs a ride, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine has a flip phone because she walks home from the bus by herself.

I know some middle schoolers with non-smart phones (Bethesda/Rockville) but I'd like to know how prevalent this is.

We do this exact same thing for our 7th grader. Works great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

-1000

My kid has a phone. This is not a big deal. Is it selfish or petty?

Agree, I can't imagine having a problem with helping another kid get a message to/from a parent in an emergency. My child has a gizmo, not a phone, but in a sports emergency (early cancellation due to lightning), he called and let me know which parents needed to be reached and I directly called them. It's just helping out other moms and I can't fathom why it would be a hardship, just like you lend someone a quarter.

No one complains about the emergencies. The complaint is about regular use or putting someone out (you have to find the kid, relay messages when not together) when there is no emergency.

This. If phones genuinely were only used in urgent situations, I don’t think anyone would complain about them. That would be like having really ubiquitous phone booths and everyone having a quarter.

Conversely, I think the high numbers of kids with phones have made the directors of some extracurriculars lazy. Case in point: my daughter's ballet teachers would occasionally cancel class, leave class early, etc. and never give ONE THOUGHT as to how the kids would get that information to their parents. "Why, everyone has cell phones now!" was the expectation. One particularly clueless one would go so far as to LEAVE herself, leaving the kids there, not imaginging for one second, "Aw, gee, the kids need to get in touch with their parents." One poor girl did have a cell phone only b/c she had allergies, so every girl would have to use it to call their parents. But I put the blame squarely on the obtuse teachers, who have become so accustomed to every last kid on the block having their own phone.

This has happened to my sister and her kids too, so it is not just this DC metro area. This was down in SC. The middle schoolers got back the school early from a field trip and the teacher told all the kids to text their parents and let them know to come pick them up early.

Lastly, I really think this has raised expectations for PARENTS too. In the good ol' 80s/90s, if we got back from a field trip early, you know what we did? Wait there until our parents came. Now, every second I get a text or an emails, I am expected to drop everything annd BE THERE mmediately. Tone down the expectations, modern society. It won't kill a kid to wait 15-20 minutes to be picked up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Please, if you have not gotten your child a phone DO NOT call or text my kid to give your kid a message. My child does not have a phone so you can let your child know that you’re going to be late for school pick up. If you need to be in contact with your own child call the school your self to give them a message OR get them a phone.

+1

And if you do insist on calling my kid, please get off your high horse about your kid not needing a phone.

-1000

My kid has a phone. This is not a big deal. Is it selfish or petty?

Agree, I can't imagine having a problem with helping another kid get a message to/from a parent in an emergency. My child has a gizmo, not a phone, but in a sports emergency (early cancellation due to lightning), he called and let me know which parents needed to be reached and I directly called them. It's just helping out other moms and I can't fathom why it would be a hardship, just like you lend someone a quarter.

Some of the parents on this thread who allow phones seem to be on their high horse assuming non-phone parents are! The comments are obnoxious. This is part of what’s wrong with society. God forbid a child needs to borrow the phone bc practice unexpectingly ended early? I’m glad most kids do not have the same mentality as these lovely parents.