Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fifth grade is a great year for a phone. My fifth grade daughter, Paige, has an iPhone. So does her 6 year old sister, Stella. They both have the iPhone 5. Also, my 8th grade daughter, Kendyl, has had a phone since she was in first grade. They all have the iPhone 5, iPad mini, iPad 3, macbook and iMac. As you can see, we go on a lot of vacations and it is important for them to reach their friends. It is very important for a kindergardener to have a iPhone. I regret giving my daughter her phone in 1st grade, for is that very late.

You revived this very old thread to post some lame comment like this?

+1. This thread is officially dead. Nice try though

Anonymous wrote:Fifth grade is a great year for a phone. My fifth grade daughter, Paige, has an iPhone. So does her 6 year old sister, Stella. They both have the iPhone 5. Also, my 8th grade daughter, Kendyl, has had a phone since she was in first grade. They all have the iPhone 5, iPad mini, iPad 3, macbook and iMac. As you can see, we go on a lot of vacations and it is important for them to reach their friends. It is very important for a kindergardener to have a iPhone. I regret giving my daughter her phone in 1st grade, for is that very late.

You revived this very old thread to post some lame comment like this?

My 4th grade DD has one. We don't have a landline, and one day I needed to work when she didn't have school. I was able to arrange for a friend to go over after about 6 hours, but that was six hours she'd be home alone.

DD only takes the phone out of the house on the days she goes to school by herself. She is to call me when she gets a block away from school so I know she got off the train and walked the 4 blocks okay. She has the ability only to call me, my best friend, my boyfriend, my mother, and 911. She does not text.

Fifth grade is a great year for a phone. My fifth grade daughter, Paige, has an iPhone. So does her 6 year old sister, Stella. They both have the iPhone 5. Also, my 8th grade daughter, Kendyl, has had a phone since she was in first grade. They all have the iPhone 5, iPad mini, iPad 3, macbook and iMac. As you can see, we go on a lot of vacations and it is important for them to reach their friends. It is very important for a kindergardener to have a iPhone. I regret giving my daughter her phone in 1st grade, for is that very late.

Anonymous wrote:I often wonder about the safety aspect- are we giving ourselves a false sense of security? If the child is really hurt, they can't call, if they are abducted, they can't call/text, if they are at school and we are across town at work, what can we do to help them? I'm not trying to be negative, just wondering how the phone helps, especially at a young age when parents are working and more than 10 minutes away.

Because he spends hours every week on an athletic field and sometimes it rains - he can call me and tell me if he got a ride home, or if I need to leave the office. He can tell me where he is going to wait. I can call him and tell him who will drive him home when metro breaks down.

I don't know what your fifth grader is like, but mine is fairly independent. Rides a bike to school, home from school. Sometimes, wants to stay late and maybe hang with friends on the school athletic fields. I like him to call and ask.

I don't walk around with no way to communicate, so why should he?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one else finds it funny that OP's 5th grader is now in middle school?

My 5 th grader is in the middle school. Falls Church city. What's funny about it?

The point was the thread was 2 years old when someone somehow stumbled on it and for some reason posted a response as if it was current or relevant. I'm sure OP's kid has a phone now.

Anonymous wrote:No one else finds it funny that OP's 5th grader is now in middle school?

My 5 th grader is in the middle school. Falls Church city. What's funny about it?

Anonymous wrote:There is no reason in the world why a fifth grader or an eight year old should have a cell phone.

Please save this, "need to get hold of them" crap. If you need to get hold of them call the main office of the school.

If the little darling is anywhere else they should be near a landline where you can call them.

Could not agree more. Our middle school kids don't have them and won't. "But, but, but, you need to get a hold of your kids!!!!" We do, darlin. Enjoy your tech-addled youth.

There is no reason in the world why a fifth grader or an eight year old should have a cell phone.

Please save this, "need to get hold of them" crap. If you need to get hold of them call the main office of the school.

If the little darling is anywhere else they should be near a landline where you can call them.

Anonymous wrote:I am embarrassed to admit that my 8 year old has a cell phone. My older kids didn't get a phone until they were 12. We caved with our youngest. And honestly, most of his friends have a cell. They text back and forth constantly.

8 year old kids text each other all the time???

I do! LOL

No one else finds it funny that OP's 5th grader is now in middle school?

My fourth grader (10, DS) has a phone. For no other reason really than him wanting one. He got it for Christmas and mainly uses it to text his family.

He walks home from school and is home alone for about 30 minutes until my 17 y/o gets home, so I like that he can call me if he accidentally locks himself out.