Just one question after a week with 'em...

[Ben E Lou]

Can ANYONE give me a legitimate reason why a middle school kid needs to have a mobile phone?

[Barkeep49]

I have seen some middle schoolers and parents very responsibly use phones so the kid could have more freedom to move around then would otherwise be possible, while still allowing the parents to know what they were up to. Of course there are the others for whom it is nothing more than a source of entertainment like a CD player or Gameboy.

[Flasch186]

Do NOT allow them to program phone numbers into their phones....then what ahppens is they do not memorize the necessary phone numers and only press "Ashley" to dial ashley but god forbid the kid ever needed to recall a number and didnt have the phone around, they wouldnt be able to.

[Buzzbee]

My middle schooler doesn't have one. Wants one desparately, but ain't gettin' it.

From what I have seen they are a convenience to the parent/s. Many parents will drop their kid off at practice and have their kid call them when practice is done, rather than sitting and watching/participating. Also, many parents depend on the cell phone as a way of "keeping up" with their kids.

For the kid, it's cool to have one. It makes them feel more mature and "grown-up". If they don't feel good at school: "Oh, I'll just call mom on my cell phone and tell her to come pick me up." It gives the kid freedom because they are always a "phone call away" and can go places parent might otherwise not let them. Yes, there are pay phones most places, but the cell phone gives them the ability to call whenever and whereever without having to depend on someone else or on there being a phone available.


As for your question, no. I cannot think of one reason why someone in middle school should have a cell phone. Unless they are driving, or hanging out with people who do, there isn't much of a reason to have one.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

I have seen some middle schoolers and parents very responsibly use phones so the kid could have more freedom to move around then would otherwise be possible, while still allowing the parents to know what they were up to.

Move around where? From everything I've read and observed about that age group, if they're going somewhere (mall, movies, neighborhood pool) where the parents won't be with them, they should either be dropped off by a parent or trusted adult friend. They aren't mobile enough to have to check in because of moving from place to place, like a high school kid with a car.

Further, the ones that I'm specifically dealing with are virtually always dropped off by parents or trusted friends, so the parents know where they are by default. My suspicion is that they have them because they think they're "cool" and "adult", and therefore nagged their parents until they got them one.

[bbor]

I don't think we even had a home phone when i was in middle school

[Ben E Lou]

Heh. Buzzbee beat me to it. What he said.

Incidentally, I'm wide open for lunch the rest of this week and can meet you somewhere near your office. Let me know what might work.

[clintl]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Move around where? From everything I've read and observed about that age group, if they're going somewhere (mall, movies, neighborhood pool) where the parents won't be with them, they should either be dropped off by a parent or trusted adult friend. They aren't mobile enough to have to check in because of moving from place to place, like a high school kid with a car.

Don't kids have bikes any more?

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by clintl

Don't kids have bikes any more?

the cool ones have mopeds

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by clintl

Don't kids have bikes any more?

In smaller towns, maybe, but keep in mind that I live in metro Atlanta, and in a subdivision-heavy area. Even the parents who are lenient enough to let their kids have a cell phone wouldn't let them ride a bike very far at all. In the huge majority of cases in my particular corner of metro Atlanta, you're in easy walking distance of everyone in your own subdivision, and in order to get to even the next subdivision over, you'd have to ride your bike on a high-traffic street. Furthermore, virtually every neighborhood that isn't a "No Outlet" is used as a cut-through for vehicular traffic to at least some degree. I've lived in the Tucker/Lakeside community since 1996, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a kid on a bike outside of their own neighborhood. For that matter, I've probably seen less than 10 kids on bikes ANYWHERE other than at a park during that 8 years. At my junior high, there were 8-10 racks where we could chain up our bicycles during the school day. The brand new Tucker Middle School, which opens its doors for the first time ever this year, doesn't have a single one put in yet, and I doubt they will.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Can ANYONE give me a legitimate reason why a high school football team needs to have a passing game?

Fixed it for ya.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Fixed it for ya.

[Bee]

Recently there was a flood in the town where I grew up. My mother still lives there and was telling me that many school buses got stuck on the way to taking the kids home and many children were several hours late getting home (the neighbor's kid didn't get home until midnight). We're talking about buses that travel 15-20 miles to take the kids to school. That wouldn't be a bad time to have a cell phone if you're a kid IMO.

[Vince]

I remember when I was in Middle School, and I wanted to go somewhere, I walked. I really can't add much that SkyDog or Buzzbee haven't said, so I'll just end with my thought that cell phones aren't needed until kids are AT LEAST 16, and even then, that's too young, I think.

[Radii]

Hell, I can't think of a legitimate reason why 90% of adults that have cell phones *need* them(myself included).

[primelord]

Originally Posted by Vince

I remember when I was in Middle School, and I wanted to go somewhere, I walked. I really can't add much that SkyDog or Buzzbee haven't said, so I'll just end with my thought that cell phones aren't needed until kids are AT LEAST 16, and even then, that's too young, I think.

If they are driving at 16 then I think a cell phone makes perfect sense. I would prefer if my son/daughter were on the road that they be able to call me if there is a problem. I'd imagine it is fairly easy to restrict them to only usung it in emergencies as well. You can keep the phone limited to the fewest minutes possible and just review the bill when it comes in each month.

[bbor]

Originally Posted by Radii

Hell, I can't think of a legitimate reason why 90% of adults that have cell phones *need* them(myself included).

Duh...So our wives can reach us anytime of the day

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Of course there are the others for whom it is nothing more than a source of entertainment like a CD player or Gameboy.

Don't get me started on parents who let their kids bring their Gameboys into restaurants with them and let them play on the damn thing the whole length of the meal. God forbid that the kid has to partake in a conversation with his family...

Originally Posted by Flasch186

Do NOT allow them to program phone numbers into their phones....then what ahppens is they do not memorize the necessary phone numers and only press "Ashley" to dial ashley but god forbid the kid ever needed to recall a number and didnt have the phone around, they wouldnt be able to.

I hardly have any phone numbers memorized. Whenever I'm filling out a form that asks for my work number I have to pull out my cell and look it up...

[cthomer5000]

I only own a cell phone because it is the same price as a land line, but I can take it anywhere.

I would love to see the stats on declining home phone installation. It's gotta be jumping off a cliff.

[rkmsuf]

I want to get a rotary cell phone

[Buzzbee]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Don't get me started on parents who let their kids bring their Gameboys into restaurants with them and let them play on the damn thing the whole length of the meal. God forbid that the kid has to partake in a conversation with his family...

Yes, families should have a nice conversation during a dinner out. However, if the choice is

1) a kid sitting playing a gameboy

2) a kid sitting and whining because they are bored because the parents are too busy eating or talking amongst themselves

3) a kid wandering all over the restaurant pestering and disturbing everyone except his/her own parents

then give me option #1 anytime (coming from a parent of a 13 and 9 year old).

[Samdari]

My brother's 8 year old thinks he desperately needs a cell phone. So far they have resisted, but the kid has eventually gotten everything he has ever wanted, so I'm betting he'll have one by age 10.

As for your story about gameboys in restaurants and cell phones being no more than toys like them: Me and Mrs Sam went to dinner a few weeks ago. At a table near us was a middle aged couple, their two teenage kids, and Grandma. It appeared as though they were taking grandma to dinner for her birthday (sue me, I eavesdrop in public places). No less than 5 times during dinner, one of the kids got a cell phone, call, and jumped up from the table to run outside and take the call. I was appalled at such behavior, wondering how the parents could allow such rudeness - until, as we were leaving, Dad got a call, jumped up from the table and ran outside to take it. Happy Birthday Grandma, I hope you enjoy the time your family set aside for you.

When did it become such a sin to be unavailable for an hour (or a day, or even a week)?

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Samdari

When did it become such a sin to be unavailable for an hour (or a day, or even a week)?

Yup. When I go out to eat I leave the cell in the car. Ain't nobody interuptin' my feedin' time...

[SplitPersonality1]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Yup. When I go out to eat I leave the cell in the car. Ain't nobody interuptin' my feedin' time...

I leave mine on vibrate. Not only is it courteous to the general public....it's kind of fun. There was this one time when......wait.....wrong forum.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

I only own a cell phone because it is the same price as a land line, but I can take it anywhere.

I would love to see the stats on declining home phone installation. It's gotta be jumping off a cliff.

This is one of those things that is happening much slower than predicted, and I do not think it will happen at all, actually. I see this imaginary phenomenon almost along the same lines as the .com boom.

According to the latest numbers I could find, only 3% of Americans use their mobile as their primary phone (note that this does not preclude also having a land line). Also, according to the same article, the number of installed land lines has fallen off only about 2%. Scary to the local phone companies (although, most of them seem to have a thriving mobile phone business) but hardly falling off a cliff.

I think this trend will continue for a while, as more and more people who have been using a cell as 'their' phone (separate from Mom and Dad's) enter the real world (from college and high school) they will continue to use that as their phone. But, I think eventually, banks will come to see the security of a land line which can be matched to a physical address as a necesity in approving loan applications.

[clintl]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

In smaller towns, maybe, but keep in mind that I live in metro Atlanta, and in a subdivision-heavy area. Even the parents who are lenient enough to let their kids have a cell phone wouldn't let them ride a bike very far at all. In the huge majority of cases in my particular corner of metro Atlanta, you're in easy walking distance of everyone in your own subdivision, and in order to get to even the next subdivision over, you'd have to ride your bike on a high-traffic street. Furthermore, virtually every neighborhood that isn't a "No Outlet" is used as a cut-through for vehicular traffic to at least some degree. I've lived in the Tucker/Lakeside community since 1996, and I'm not sure I've ever seen a kid on a bike outside of their own neighborhood. For that matter, I've probably seen less than 10 kids on bikes ANYWHERE other than at a park during that 8 years. At my junior high, there were 8-10 racks where we could chain up our bicycles during the school day. The brand new Tucker Middle School, which opens its doors for the first time ever this year, doesn't have a single one put in yet, and I doubt they will.

Good points. I've lived mostly in small towns, and the city I live in now is known for the high percentage of bike riders, so I've always been used to having them around.

[Vince]

Originally Posted by primelord

If they are driving at 16 then I think a cell phone makes perfect sense. I would prefer if my son/daughter were on the road that they be able to call me if there is a problem. I'd imagine it is fairly easy to restrict them to only usung it in emergencies as well. You can keep the phone limited to the fewest minutes possible and just review the bill when it comes in each month.

I totally agree about the car thing...I still think 16 is a bit young though. I think of what I was like when I was sixteen, and that scares me...and I was a pretty damned responsible kid

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Samdari

When did it become such a sin to be unavailable for an hour (or a day, or even a week)?

I totally agree. My cell phone stays on vibrate. If I am at work and anyone besides OlieGirl calls, I don't answer it. No one needs to talk to me during work that badly, I'm supposed to be busy. I'll check the message when I feel it's convienant.

When I get home at night the cell phone goes on the counter, still on vibrate. If you called, i'll see it the next time I pick up my cell to go out. If you needed to talk to me that bad, you have my home number. If you don't have my home number, then trust me, you didn't need to talk to me that bad.

If I'm out with my family and it rings, half the time I don't even look at it to see who's calling. It can wait. I don't care what it is, it can wait until I'm done spending time with my family.

I have only made 1 call on my cell phone while out with my family that I can remember in the last 9 months that we've been together. A friend of mine had called and left a message saying "I need to ask you something" and sounded semi-urgent, and had left the message the day before. So I thought a call back was reasonably warranted. But I felt bad doing it anyway, it was rude to my fiancee and kid to hop on my cell phone and have a casual conversation while we were all out together. I kept it reasonably short even though we hadn't talked in awhile, and sent him a long(for me) chatty e-mail BS'ing about a bunch of stuff later on that evening just to keep in touch.


Can you tell I rather loathe cell phones They're a nice convienance, they're great to have in an emergency situation, but I will not be tied to it and I am not available to anyone but my immediate family 24/7.

[BishopMVP]

At Umass, the phone system is pretty much so bad that cell phones are used as primary phones (plus the college lifestyle fits well with free nights/weekends to keep cost down.) I didn't get my cell phone until late Senior year of HS, so I've seen both sides, but I really couldn't live the same way without the cell phone. You can set things up on the fly instead of having to organize in advance, and I can't imagine going back to no cell phones.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by BishopMVP

At Umass, the phone system is pretty much so bad that cell phones are used as primary phones (plus the college lifestyle fits well with free nights/weekends to keep cost down.) I didn't get my cell phone until late Senior year of HS, so I've seen both sides, but I really couldn't live the same way without the cell phone. You can set things up on the fly instead of having to organize in advance, and I can't imagine going back to no cell phones.

I can't even believe I'm reading this. This is old fogey talk but back in my day I had to climb 5, 6 flights of stairs just to get to the phone. Sometimes with no shoes on...and that's the way it was and we liked it.

[korme]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Can ANYONE give me a legitimate reason why a middle school kid needs to have a mobile phone?

big pimpin' baby

[korme]

fyi, the worst month of my life is when my celly got broke after spring break and i was without it for that duration.. ouch

[Ben E Lou]

As far as the debate about having them, in a job like mine, it is a virtual necessity, and most YL areas pay for them for their staff. (Heck, when I started on full-time staff back in '91 I was handed a pager my first day on the job...) I spend so much time out of the office that it is like a 2nd business line for me. That being said, I set some definitive boundaries, like turning it off when I am at home in the evenings. (I turn it on when I've got work-related stuff in the evenings--which happens around 3-5 nights per week during the school year, and 1-2 during the summer.) Plus, my office is in the basement of a church building in a residential area that has poor coverage to start with. When I'm in the office, calls on it don't always come through. What is interesting is that my having it turned off some evenings and not working well in the office presents an issue for my high school kids. They virtually *never* call someone's home or office phone first; they use the mobile number exclusively. The ones that I'm closest to have figured out that they need to try me at home or the office before the mobile, but at times I feel guilty when I don't get a message from a kid who I don't know as well until the next morning.

I'd imagine that when the current crop of high school kids moves into adulthood, we'll see an acceleration of the no-land-line trend; they aren't using them anyway.

My wife's job also provides her one. (Actually, in the last position she was in before her current one, she had to carry a pager AND a mobile phone...) With both of us being in highly relational jobs that don't have traditional hours or boundaries, it goes without saying that we both turn those suckers off whenever we are having any sort of "together time."

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

With both of us being in highly relational jobs that don't have traditional hours or boundaries, it goes without saying that we both turn those suckers off whenever we are having any sort of "naughty time."

Fixed it again.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Fixed it again.

Well, that too.

OK, this is probably too much information, but here goes...

1) We live in the neighborhood right behind the high school, right smack-dab in the center of Tucker.
2) Teenagers and adults feel free to drop in on us unannounced when major (and sometimes minor) difficulties are at hand.
3) We have a small window in our front door.
4) We have no children of our own.

and...

5) We have a very large, very comfortable L-sofa in the den, that can be seen from the front porch due to the windowed front door.

Imagine being a teenager and you're traumatized over something going on your life. You decide to go visit that youth ministry guy and his Christian Counselor wife, who you view as second parents. You walk up to the front door. At the moment you knock on the door, you also look through the window...








We have gotten more than a few laughs with close friends when they get up to courage to ask why we have that cut-out piece of cardboard covering the small window on the front door. Poor kid...

[Noop]

You know what I dislike cell phones with a passion because it gives people a reason to call you about the dumbest things. I got rid of mine a couple of months of go because getting phone calls at 1,2,3 in the morning is not cool. Especially from ugly females who some how got your phone number from who knows where. So no cell phone for me I will stick to my pager which has Net access.

[Samdari]

Oh my god, the poor kid. He saw your naked butt???

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Well, that too.

OK, this is probably too much information, but here goes...

1) We live in the neighborhood right behind the high school, right smack-dab in the center of Tucker.
2) Teenagers and adults feel free to drop in on us unannounced when major (and sometimes minor) difficulties are at hand.
3) We have a small window in our front door.
4) We have no children of our own.

and...

5) We have a very large, very comfortable L-sofa in the den, that can be seen from the front porch due to the windowed front door.

Imagine being a teenager and you're traumatized over something going on your life. You decide to go visit that youth ministry guy and his Christian Counselor wife, who you view as second parents. You walk up to the front door. At the moment you knock on the door, you also look through the window...








We have gotten more than a few laughs with close friends when they get up to courage to ask why we have that cut-out piece of cardboard covering the small window on the front door. Poor kid...

Ahhh, see... the miscreant brings out the best in FOFC.

**Edit... hey, man, pix pls, thx.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Radii

Hell, I can't think of a legitimate reason why 90% of adults that have cell phones *need* them(myself included).

Only 90%???

I am really building a slow rage against cell phones (don't have one, don't want one). Not only assholes using them while driving but in stores as well. I guess I can understand business contacts but when I overhear ladies just yapping shit while in line or shopping in the aisles, I just want to take that damn thing away and stomp on it. Are these assholes' (not just ladies) lives so shallow that they must be yapping with someone on the phone in public????

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

I can't even believe I'm reading this. This is old fogey talk but back in my day I had to climb 5, 6 flights of stairs just to get to the phone. Sometimes with no shoes on...and that's the way it was and we liked it.

Back when I was in school.....awww....nevermind.

[Logan]

Going as far back as the mid-90's (which was when my brother and sister were in school), I don't understand how college kids survived without the benefits of cell phones/instant messaging. I ask my brother and sister how they managed all the time, and am shocked by how they lived.

I can't imagine having to make plans with a big group of people by calling everyone's dorm phone individually and then deciding on a central meeting place. If one of your buddies didn't show up at the bar at 10, did you just assume they either a. decided not to go out, b. decided to ditch you and go somewhere else, or c. are lying in a ditch somewhere?

Any current college student will be able to tell you the benefits of being able to call your buddies and saying "Don't bother coming, this party sucks," or "Yo, its a great time at this bar, come down."

And good lord what did you people do for booty calls at 2 am when you were loaded?

[korme]

thank you Logan.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Originally Posted by Buzzbee

From what I have seen they are a convenience to the parent/s. Many parents will drop their kid off at practice and have their kid call them when practice is done, rather than sitting and watching/participating. Also, many parents depend on the cell phone as a way of "keeping up" with their kids.

Why do I picture this scenario:

(cell rings)

Kid: Hi Mom.

Mom: Hey, what you doing?

Kid: Nothing.

Mom: How are you doing in school?

Kid: Mom... I"M IN THE LIVING ROOM. I CAN HEAR YOU WITHOUT THE PHONE!!!

[Buccaneer]

Logan and as usually, Shorty, are some of the assholes I was referring to. I'll give you kids a hint that might pay off when you grow up: a) plan better and b) life is inconvenient at times, deal with it.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Logan and as usually, Shorty, are some of the assholes I was referring to.

You just said the magic words.

[JeeberD]

Whoa...

[MrIllini]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Can ANYONE give me a legitimate reason why a middle school kid needs to have a mobile phone?

so that his teacher can get ahold of him and arrange a good boning

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by MrIllini

so that his teacher can get ahold of him and arrange a good boning

Gold.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by MrIllini

so that his teacher can get ahold of him and arrange a good boning

Well played.

[MrIllini]

I was quite surprised to read the whole thread and not already see it