Thanks for thanking me for trying to justify why a 13/14 yr old would have a cell phone. You are certainly entitled to your opinions as everyone else is.
Maybe you did not have a cellular phone because your parents felt the same way as you feel now. Or maybe you really had no real use for one. What ever the reasons may be, times have changed and will continue to. By the time you are a parent with a 13/14 year old you may see things differently.
Owning a cell phone is becoming increasingly common especially as many people getting away from home phones. Why be restricted to only using a phone at home, missing calls, or waiting at home for a call?
When you and my children were in high school, cell phones were not nearly as commonly used as they are today. I felt that as my kids were learning to drive and going off with their friends who were driving, a cell phone was something they should have with them in case of emergencies. I certainly didn't think it was a God given right or so they could keep up with the Joneses.
Fast forward 10-12 years later, my daughter has a cell phone at the age of 13 and we have no home phone. Should I keep a home phone and pay AT&T $30 a month for her to be the only one to use that phone, or add a line to my already existing account for $10 a month? The data plan is shared, texts and calls are unlimited. She can talk to her friends without having to borrow my phone. Nor do I receive phone calls for her. Not to mention, the iPhone is her iPod, dictionary, calculator, map, calendar, alarm clock, camera, notepad, remote control for Uverse, she is able to watch movies, tv shows from free apps like ABC Player, TBS, NBC, CW. She can read newspaper articles. The list goes on.
When you are a parent of a 13/14 year old things will be "different" than they are now. Be prepared, how you think now might just "different".
