Good Christmas For My Daughter - iPhone 5!

[iKnowMr.Jobs]

Wow, what a first cell phone. I received my first cell phone in 2008 in 7th grade. It was a red samsung flip phone but i didn't last long. My parents wouldn't let me get another phone until March 2010 which ended up being another samsung but it had a slider qwerty keyboard. I liked it and actually took care of it. A month later, the iPhone 4 was leaked by Giz and i started saving up my money because i had every intention of getting it. As soon as i saw the internals, it was clear that it wasn't fake like everyone claimed it was. It was too tight, too well thought out to be some fake a dude threw together.

That June, i ended up being right. I had all the money necessary( retail price, upgrade fee, etc) and a little extra for accessories and with tons of negotiating with my parents, i could get one....if i got it with applecare. Problem was, that i didn't have THAT much money. I was desperate enough to work for my mother's business for a MONTH to get the (then priced) $69 apple care. Obviously, see took up the offer and she probably would've been a fool not to.
It paid off in the end and i feel proud of myself for doing all of that considering that my parents bought my brother (4 years my senior) a 3GS the day i got my 4 and bought him a 4S for Christmas last year. I now have an iPhone 5 that i again paid for without borrowing cash from anyone and with money i earned from my first job. That more than what most kids my age can say for.

[iMas70]

Originally Posted by Maverick713

isn't facebook a better venue?

I figured this post is worth at least the same as the 50 or so that we read here in September that said "I ordered my iPhone 5, can't wait to get it" or, "What color iPhone did you get?" . Not knocking those, but not all posts here are tech related. Plus, not only am I excited about getting my daughter a tech item for Christmas that most of the people here appreciate, she'll also be someone that appreciates having it! And someday, when the iPhone 35 is out, she might be here reminiscing about the day her Dad bought her first iPhone and posting about buying one for her son/daughter...

[CH34P3T]

Make sure you tell her to keep the iPhone on her at all times if she decides to bring it to school, with gym class being the exception. I've heard countless stories where students have had their cell phones or iPods stolen.

[sawah]

There is quite a lot of posts in here telling the OP how pathetic it is. His daughter sounds like a very responsible young lady who takes care of her stuff. You're not the parents and it's really not for any of you to judge whether she's responsible enough. My kids are 9 and 5. Our 9 year old has a galaxy tab, and our 5 year old has an ipod touch. Christmas morning they will be replaced by iPad minis. They've had the others for almost 3 years and they are still in perfect condition. They've proven responsible with them and understand they need to be taken care of. Some kids are responsible with electronics and some aren't. They are well aware if they are broken they won't be replaced. Say it's pathetic and they are too young all you want. They have learned responsibility from owning them. Sorry but no different from the things that you got bought when you were younger - nintendos, flip phones, cd players, whatever.

They do well in school, they're polite kids. If they're not, they lose privileges. There's nothing wrong with rewarding them. They don't spend 24 hours a day playing video games and they do their homework after school. They have other toys, they play outside, they are both in Hockey, they play with friends. It's just a tool like anything else. When they get a little older they can learn more responsibility by saving and buying their own devices.

[Damolee]

Originally Posted by sawah

There is quite a lot of posts in here telling the OP how pathetic it is. His daughter sounds like a very responsible young lady who takes care of her stuff. You're not the parents and it's really not for any of you to judge whether she's responsible enough. My kids are 9 and 5. Our 9 year old has a galaxy tab, and our 5 year old has an ipod touch. Christmas morning they will be replaced by iPad minis. They've had the others for almost 3 years and they are still in perfect condition. They've proven responsible with them and understand they need to be taken care of. Some kids are responsible with electronics and some aren't. They are well aware if they are broken they won't be replaced. Say it's pathetic and they are too young all you want. They have learned responsibility from owning them. Sorry but no different from the things that you got bought when you were younger - nintendos, flip phones, cd players, whatever.

They do well in school, they're polite kids. If they're not, they lose privileges. There's nothing wrong with rewarding them. They don't spend 24 hours a day playing video games and they do their homework after school. They have other toys, they play outside, they are both in Hockey, they play with friends. It's just a tool like anything else. When they get a little older they can learn more responsibility by saving and buying their own devices.

This. Exactly like this.

We didn't even have mobile phones of any form as kids, doesn't mean we have to deprive our kids from such joys.

That being said, my boy's first phone will be a cheap... rough and rugged device. See how he looks after it.

[nburwell]

13 and she's getting an iPhone? I didn't think twice about having a cell phone when I was 13, but then again I lived in the Zach Morris cell phone era. It's awfully generous of you to get your daughter such a nice gift for Christmas. I know my future children won't see an iPhone until they're old enough to pay for both the phone itself and the monthly bill that comes along with it. I would gladly purchase an iPod Touch for them at that young of an age though.

[meistervu]

Originally Posted by sawah

There is quite a lot of posts in here telling the OP how pathetic it is. His daughter sounds like a very responsible young lady who takes care of her stuff. You're not the parents and it's really not for any of you to judge whether she's responsible enough. My kids are 9 and 5. Our 9 year old has a galaxy tab, and our 5 year old has an ipod touch. Christmas morning they will be replaced by iPad minis. They've had the others for almost 3 years and they are still in perfect condition. They've proven responsible with them and understand they need to be taken care of. Some kids are responsible with electronics and some aren't. They are well aware if they are broken they won't be replaced. Say it's pathetic and they are too young all you want. They have learned responsibility from owning them. Sorry but no different from the things that you got bought when you were younger - nintendos, flip phones, cd players, whatever.

They do well in school, they're polite kids. If they're not, they lose privileges. There's nothing wrong with rewarding them. They don't spend 24 hours a day playing video games and they do their homework after school. They have other toys, they play outside, they are both in Hockey, they play with friends. It's just a tool like anything else. When they get a little older they can learn more responsibility by saving and buying their own devices.

Most of the replies here failed to point out what I think is the most important potential cost of an iPhone. No, it's not the $1500 or so that concerns me, but the time it takes away from other activities which is important to the development of a well rounded human being. There are 24 hours in a day, and when you spend time doing something it's always at the cost of not doing something else. Yes, the $1500 is a lot of money to many people, but it pales in comparison to the cost of time spending on the phone. And again, I am not talking about money here: I am talking about the time sitting there doing apparently nothing but actually thinking about life, daydreaming about what one wants to do when growing up, talking to friends face to face, walking the dog and enjoying the crunching footsteps on dry snow, etc. For me an iPhone is most of the time a consuming device: when you use it, you are being passive - you are not creating.

I am not saying that it's a bad thing to give a 13 year old an iPhone. I think it is a wonderful tool: dictionary, ebooks, wikipedia, maps, some games, etc. But like anything in life, moderation is the key.

But I am not judging OP or anyone here for that matter. I am just stating my observations and opinions. I have seen many you people spending too much time on the phone at the cost of real life interaction and I think it's very sad for humanity, and this comes from a man who love gadgets. See my signature.

[iMas70]

Originally Posted by meistervu

Most of the replies here failed to point out what I think is the most important potential cost of an iPhone. No, it's not the $1500 or so that concerns me, but the time it takes away from other activities which is important to the development of a well rounded human being. There are 24 hours in a day, and when you spend time doing something it's always at the cost of not doing something else. Yes, the $1500 is a lot of money to many people, but it pales in comparison to the cost of time spending on the phone. And again, I am not talking about money here: I am talking about the time sitting there doing apparently nothing but actually thinking about life, daydreaming about what one wants to do when growing up, talking to friends face to face, walking the dog and enjoying the crunching footsteps on dry snow, etc. For me an iPhone is most of the time a consuming device: when you use it, you are being passive - you are not creating.

I am not saying that it's a bad thing to give a 13 year old an iPhone. I think it is a wonderful tool: dictionary, ebooks, wikipedia, maps, some games, etc. But like anything in life, moderation is the key.

But I am not judging OP or anyone here for that matter. I am just stating my observations and opinions. I have seen many you people spending too much time on the phone at the cost of real life interaction and I think it's very sad for humanity, and this comes from a man who love gadgets. See my signature.

That is true! Even myself as an adult, I can say that I'm pretty much addicted to electronics. I usually don't go an hour without pulling out my phone to check Facebook or my e-mail at least once. And that leads to CNN, local news stations and then other websites. Yeah, some of them can be considered good for learning (keeping up with current events) but other things can eat up a lot of time like playing games. I tell myself that it will just be for 15 minutes, then I just want to get to the next level, then just another 10 minutes then almost done... Then it's 3am and it's really time to goto bed!

As a parent I can try to help her learn moderation and maybe a little "do as I say, not as I do"

[meistervu]

Originally Posted by iMas70

That is true! Even myself as an adult, I can say that I'm pretty much addicted to electronics. I usually don't go an hour without pulling out my phone to check Facebook or my e-mail at least once. And that leads to CNN, local news stations and then other websites. Yeah, some of them can be considered good for learning (keeping up with current events) but other things can eat up a lot of time like playing games. I tell myself that it will just be for 15 minutes, then I just want to get to the next level, then just another 10 minutes then almost done... Then it's 3am and it's really time to goto bed!

As a parent I can try to help her learn moderation and maybe a little "do as I say, not as I do"

What you said described me too! And often when I had to work and my 6 year old daughter is with me, the temptation is too great to give her my iPhone to play with. I have great educational software on it so she can learn to read and math so it's educational, but even that can be too much.

I think self control is an extremely valuable skill. This is an opportunity to teach self control to a child. In my case, I would tell my daughter "20 minutes" and when the time is up she gives it back to me. It was hard at first because she always wanted more time, but then it became a habit so now when the time is up, she is done.

[Megalobyte]

Wow, when I was 13, cell phones didn't exist, (neither did personal computers or the Internet for that matter), when I got my own ROTARY phone in my room, that was a very big deal. As was the first Atari system. Then Walkmans that played tapes, now we have iPhones that do it all, and so much better, but we still find a way to complain, don't we.

My 8 year old doesn't even realize how amazing the technology he has available to him really is. He thinks iPhones always existed, I showed him a picture of an old rotary phone, he had no idea what it was. When I told him its the kind of phone I had when I was his age, he looked puzzled and asked me, where do you put the headphones, how do you watch videos, or play games? I said, you don't, you stand near the wall and talk on the phone, and that's all you do. By then, he had already lost interest and was playing mine craft on his iPod touch 5.

[blancoBronco]

Originally Posted by AFDoc

Your logic is flawed in the fact that you think we care what you get your kids for Christmas. Not trying to be a jerk but you asked.

judging by the amount of replies to the post, i'd say people do care

[AFDoc]

Originally Posted by blancoBronco

judging by the amount of replies to the post, i'd say people do care

LoL this entire thread and THAT'S your only response.... to me? Ohhhh I'm so flattered. I get why people list their iDevices even though I believe it's a silly thing to do but what's the point with posting things you have sold? What are you trying to compensate for?

OP, for all of those saying you shouldn't get her an iPhone tell them to go sit on it. Get your daughter what you want and don't worry about what all the arm chair psychologists and haters say. Heck, my 10 year old is rocking an iPhone.

Originally Posted by Megalobyte

..... he had already lost interest and was playing mine craft on his iPod touch 5.

Now that is a silly silly game I will never understand. I mean whats the point? I guess seeing what you can build is cool but again.... what's the point? Or is that the point that there is no point..... Hmmmmmmm maybe now I'm getting it?

My son really loves it and has spent many hours building kick butt houses, with rooms, stairs, trap doors to lava pits ect ect. His tallest one is like 40 stories or something like that.

[macingman]

Originally Posted by iMas70

For the price of that,

Yes for the price of the iPod as well as two years of the cellular+data costs...

[LoloBond]

Today I gave my daughter the opportunity to choose between an iPod 5 red and a white 4s... iPod 5 won.. lol She said she doesn't want an iPhone... I will have her check by a doctor lol

[Lightey]

Every time there's a thread like this, there always has to be those people that think it's a bad thing to give a teen a phone like this. Who cares? Is it your daughter? Is it your phone?

I got my first phone when I was 11, and it was an original iPhone. Never was stolen, and I eventually replaced it when my contract was up. Worked fine, and I didn't break it. Kids can take care of things, calm down, naysayers.

[iMas70]

Well, she received her phone today! Is very excited about it! I started her off with an iTunes gift card, set up iTunes, iCloud and Dropbox and explained a few things that she didn't know about. She's appreciating this gift!

[From A Buick 8]

Originally Posted by iMas70

Well, she received her phone today! Is very excited about it! I started her off with an iTunes gift card, set up iTunes, iCloud and Dropbox and explained a few things that she didn't know about. She's appreciating this gift!

Awesome she will love it i'm sure, i passed my 4 down to my daughter will be her first smart phone (she has had a cell since she was 15). She was very excited to get it, i had kept very good care of it so it is just like new. My son received a new iPod 5 he is very excited and i of course received a new 5. My wife is the only one who did not receive something apple this christmas (she received an iPod 4 last year)

[drenline]

Get apple care.

[From A Buick 8]

Originally Posted by drenline

Get apple care.

and add it to your homeowners insurance.

[Myiphone7]

Originally Posted by AFDoc

Cool..... Why exactly are you telling us?

That she's excited that her daughter is joining the apple iPhone community obviously

[iHailCarlo]

A little much for the age of 13, but I wish I had an iPhone 5 at 13. Cool!

[AFDoc]

Originally Posted by aphexacid

iPhones at 13! The other guy says he had a pager at 13!

gah!

I'm 32. in 1993, if i would have asked my mom for a pager, i'd have received the back of her hand.

I don't know exactly how we will go about this when we have kids, but my fiance and I have talked about this a lot. I don't want a zombie teenager sitting around texting friends all day.
But i do love the educational aspect tech can bring. I guess i'll cross that bridge....

If you're 32 it's time to jump on the wagon my friend.... you don't want to have a 16yo when your 55..... plant the seed man....plant it!

[dinggus]

Originally Posted by AFDoc

If you're 32 it's time to jump on the wagon my friend.... you don't want to have a 16yo when your 55..... plant the seed man....plant it!

Why such a rush? I refuse to be a parent before 28. I want to live life, party, have my vehicles and motorcycle paid off, etc.

[JoeG4]

iMas, I hope your daughter is enjoying her new iPhone and you guys are having an awesome Christmas As a teen, I was hardcore into tech and when I was 14, my mom decided to (as a one surprise) let me buy the computer of my dreams. I went and got a high end QSG4 with a cinema display and when I came to share my excitement with another mac site, got burned pretty harsh - how DARE I have such a nice machine. **** me, right?

I want to say it's normal to become a jealous jerk, especially when you can't figure out a way to do it. Unfortunately, things changed a lot so I couldn't just randomly buy a computer of my dreams again, perhaps in the future when I have a good job

Still, I've seen people buy iPods as "stocking stuffer gifts for friends and family". Some people are insanely well off, and I'm happy for them! A 13 year old with an iPhone doesn't sound all that unusual, although she really should be careful with it, and not get too casual with letting classmates and friends play with it, as you never know what might happen when it's in someone else's hands, especially in high school. ><

[dontwalkhand]

Originally Posted by mrstefani

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".

Think Different. -Apple