Your thoughts on an 8 year old having a mobile (cell) phone?

Question

Well, its school holidays and I am at home with my two children and my two step children. My problem is that my step daughter has been given a mobile phone by her mother with instructions to ring her mother whenever she wants. Now the thing is she only contacts her mother to "Dob" and tell her mum if she has been in trouble for being naughty. I dont like this as this means her mother gets angry but how can we discipline the child if all she does is ring her mother? She is also very out of control at the best of times. This is beginning to affect the 3 other children.

Answer 1

This same thing happened with my step daughter she was constantly texting. We only get her every other weekend and we didn't want her on the phone the whole time so she is not allowed to have the phone at our house. If her mom wants to talk to her she had to call the house or me or my husbands cell. While she is in your house she has to live by your rules, period. He mother should respect that.

Answer 2

i think its silly there not even going to use it for something important you could get cells when your 12-up

Answer 3

I think it's pathetic to give a kid a cell phone. All it boils down to 99% of the time is lazy parenting. I'd tell the mom "NO,cell phones in our house...she can use the house phone if need be".

Answer 4

yah i guess my sister was eight and she got one

Answer 5

Well I wouldn't give my 8 yr old a phone. Since she has it at her mothers when she comes to your house I would either make her leave it there or give it to you when she is at the house. I had this issue with my stepson but he was older. He was allowed to keep his phone and called his mom one day to tell on me. I told him that we didn't do that in our house and he argued since it was HIS phone. I told him if did that I was going to keep the phone while he was at MY house.

Answer 6

This has the be one of the dumbest things I've ever read. What the heck is wrong with the house phone? Do you not have one? Is it bugged? Is the 8yr spending a lot of time in the middle of no where by herself?

I can't think of an acceptable reason for why an 8yr would need a cell phone, ESPECIALLY when she's with family. My answer would be to take the cell phone from her and only give it to her at appropriate times to talk to her mother (SUPER NICE mommy choice) or she can use the house phone to call her. If there's a problem with either of those choices, my answer would be, " MY HOUSE and MY RULES."

Best Wishes =]

Answer 7

Her mom is not doing her any favors. What is she teaching her?  

If she has problems then she should be talking to you and your husband. That's what grown ups do! They do not involve the children to undermine the grown ups.

If you can take away the mobile phone. I would tell her mom that and why. An 8 yr old does not need a mobile phone. It's teaching her that she can go to someone else if she doesn't like something. Exactly, what is that teaching her besides to act up and become a spoiled brat?  Mom will care when she hits 13.

Answer 8

I think it's silly for an 8yr old to have a cell phone.  I'm sorry but we don't need to get our kids wrapped up in all this advanced technology just yet.  If you give your kid a cell phone at that age, we are letting them grow up too fast.  To me it's just way for the parents to get the kids involved with something else besides the family.

Answer 9

I don't think that an eight year old needs a cell phone under any circumstances but if her mother sees it absolutely necessary insist that it stays at her house when the child is at your home.  As long as the mother is able to reach you for reasonable matters there should be no reason for the child to have control like that.