Cell phone controversy, both at home and school, are issues that must addressed in this age of technology.
My son just turned ten this past weekend. When I asked him, months ago, what he wanted for his birthday, he told me (aside from the Nintendo Wii that I purchased for way too much on E-bay) that he wanted a cell phone. I saw the wisdom in this; the child wants more independence, but knows it is an ever-more dangerous world (I admit, I have pushed this point with him). However, this is the same person who still leaves his reading book in school, causing us to have to drive to the school and bang on the door to beg the principal or custodian to let us in to retrieve it so he can do his homework. I could just see the cell phone being left somewhere and having to waste valuable evening hours tracking it down. That, of course, is minimal compared to trying to track my son down somewhere.
It is difficult to know, as a parent, what is the right thing to do regarding cell phones and children. We have no measuring stick—since it is a fairly new invention, we have no experience to draw upon. As the first generation cell phone parents, it is up to us to make the rules; how old the child should be to be trusted with this item, when it should be used, whether or not it goes to school, and what budget will be applied. Some parents think it is absurd to give a kid a cell phone. My feeling is that as long as the child knows how to keep an eye on his or her stuff, is smart about not broadcasting its existence, and uses it in an appropriate way, it can be a great way to keep in touch with him or her as he or she establishes independence. In fact, when I do get Zach his cell phone, it is going to be one of those models that has this feature: he can only call four people and I will be able to track him through it on my computer. It will definitely be on my terms.
See related article: Cell Phones and the Classroom
