My son is ten years. He wants a cell phone - now. Should I give him one?
Of late, my son has been pestering me to get him a cell phone. He first wanted the one I use and said I had better change to a new slick model. Since that was way too funny, he dropped the idea. Now he wants the slightly older Nokia Model I keep as a stand – by. His arguments interspersed with undeniable logic literally leave me gasping, with horror and shock. Horror, at his determination to wheedle a phone out of me at any cost - and shock, that he has grown up so much! Sample his logic.
He needs a phone because he might get lost. The city has recently had a spate of kidnappings. To make him more aware I made him read the articles in newspapers and gave him a long lesson of safe behavior. He goes to a tutorial and basketball after school hours a few days a week. He goes chaperoned of course. But he tells me if the Driver shows up late, he can ring me up immediately and inform me. If his Basketball gets cancelled, I can arrange to get him from school without delay. Apparently, all his classmates have perfect arrangements with their parents or have hand phones, pagers, transmitters or maybe a tie-up with the school admin too complicated for me to use! These are not his best arguments by far. Our condo lift has got stuck recently once or twice. Apparently having a cell phone would make it easier for him to get in touch with us when he gets stuck in the lift! I think he thinks of these while sleeping! When I argue that he has already lost 3 watches this year and the phone won’t last long in his hands, he tells me his friend has lost three phones and still has got a phone. This friend is two years older and uses public transport to school – if I try to point that, the argument takes an entirely new direction – his friend knows driving and driving and the car keys are the next on my son’s list!
My list of arguments is long and he has an answer to all. The only way I have got my way so far has been by bullying.
He will lose the phone – He wont, he will be careful!
Phone will affect his tender brain – It affects our brains too
He doesn’t need a phone – He does of course, badly
All his trousers / school dress pockets are torn – I can repair them
The shorts he goes out to play in do not have pockets – I can customize them to carry a phone
He doesn’t need one – He does, badly
He is way too young – What do I mean by that?
I cannot afford it – That’s the reason he wants the old model
HE DOESN’T NEED A PHONE, HE IS TOO YOUNG – uh puhleeeze
I really cannot fathom when he graduated from playing games on my mobile to needing a phone as a status symbol (uh-huh). And I honestly don’t know how long the bullying will work. Any ideas? When should a child start using a mobile phone?
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Thank God I have not come across that dilemma yet. The reason behind that I think is because none of Nikki’s (my elder son) close friends have one. But he did mention that people in his class have cell phones a year back( to my surprise).
ReplyDeleteIt seems most of the girls in his class and few boys have cell phones. I do not know the actual reason for that….because when it comes to dreaded situations both the genders are equally vulnerable.
Maybe children in this generation are in fact using the cell phones much earlier than we did ………remember when we first started to use computers……..
My younger son beats me in almost all the games …..I am the weakest player in the house. So take it all in the stride………… Easy to say than doing.
Oh i can be a big bully at home! Dont worry, this situation will arise sooner rather than later for you! Its a phase one has to go through.
ReplyDeleteI have been in your shoes... believe me( a year and half back) and now my son does have a moblie phone. But, its strictly for emergency use, he is not allowed to carry it in the school(its that if you want it, have it....but on our terms).And, recently heard that school has banned it too.And as the time went by he is no more into phones, now his mind has set to what he does not have....PS3....so you see....it goes on.
ReplyDeleteWow, chiku has really grown up! You are right about the health hazards resulting from cell phone usage. Children and teenagers are far more vulnerable than elders. There is another problem associated with giving expensive handsets to kids as these sets may turn out to be potential cause of threat for children. Here, schools have banned use or possession of mobile phones inside school premises. So I do not have to face the problem of saying "no" to an independent cell phone Tukun. As it is my stand-by phone is so old fashioned, even if I gift it to him, I am sure he would refuse to accept. But since I am an anxiety neurosis patient, I make him carry the set when we go out to locate him without much effort , especially in the officers' club, where he virtually becomes untraceable.
ReplyDeleteschool has banned it? - i didnt know that fab. i would still give him a phone for my peace of mind (he becomes untraceable in the condo at times) - if I wasn't sure he would lose it in an hour.
ReplyDeleteours is a typical case.Ais in israel allowed students upto class 5 to use school phone,after that they r on their own untill unless it is an emergency.We gave her a mobile not because everybody in class had one,but more because of security reasons.After coming back to India,she didnt need it as schools have (even many colleges also)banned it.So quitely I discarded my old one and started using her latest motorola-L5 model.But now in class 9,she hijacks it when I need it the most,particularly after school time.Mostly it is out of charge due to excessive use(games and sms).I think I will give her a separate one soon to be in touch with the world after school times.
ReplyDeleteours is a typical case.Ais in israel allowed students upto class 5 to use school phone,after that they r on their own untill unless it is an emergency.We gave her one not because everybody in class had one,but more because of security reasons.After coming back to India,she didnt need one as schools have (even many colleges also)banned it.So quitely I discarded my old one and started using her latest motorolaL5 model.But now in class 9,she hijacks it when I need it the most,particularly after school time.Most of the time it is not charged.I think I will give her a separate one soon to be in touch with the world after school times.
ReplyDelete