On Thursday Thoughts, we'll take a look at an issue facing parents. This week: What is the right age to give a child a cell phone?
My oldest got a cell phone in the fifth grade. This was because I was regularly dropping her at the ballet studio with her 5-year-old sister. There is no phone in the studio. So, if the 5-year-old was having a tough time, there was no way for the oldest to reach me.
She also started to go downtown with her friends that fall. I required that she text me when she was leaving school, arriving at the restaurant and then when she was ready to head home.
My fourth grader could benefit from a phone. But the oldest didn't get it until fifth grade.
So what is a parent to do? Do I wait until fifth grade? Or does he get one a year early since there have been more than a handful of times where a phone would have made my life a million times easier.
Tell us your thoughts.
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