Giving someone else's kid a phone for 9th birthday???
Discussion
One of my close relatives (who I have an iffy relationship with...not terrible, but on the odd occasion we meet its argumentative at best.....lets say its a parent, its not...but close enough) gave them a mobile phone with £5 of pre paid for a present for a 9th birthday.
I need a reality check....is that a nice gift (kid loves it!) or is some thing that a) I need to now fund (and I wont because of b) b) is not something I think they need while at junior school c) is something they should check with the parent on first???
Cool gift or dumb gift?
I need a reality check....is that a nice gift (kid loves it!) or is some thing that a) I need to now fund (and I wont because of b) b) is not something I think they need while at junior school c) is something they should check with the parent on first???
Cool gift or dumb gift?
In answer to your original question no they shouldn't without clearing it with the parents first.
Regarding the age thing,my girlfriends grand-daughter had an ipod for xmas when she was 4 or 5.With that she can text and make video calls (facetime) on wi-fi so not that much different to a normal phone.On the face of it she would appear to be way too young but she's not your average girl,very bright and sensible and the only time she uses it other than for games or music is when she's bored and wants to talk to nana or auntie.
I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't have a proper iphone soon though as all the family have them.
I'm not in favour myself but these are the times we live in and these people are 'the iphone generation' where if you want something you have it
Regarding the age thing,my girlfriends grand-daughter had an ipod for xmas when she was 4 or 5.With that she can text and make video calls (facetime) on wi-fi so not that much different to a normal phone.On the face of it she would appear to be way too young but she's not your average girl,very bright and sensible and the only time she uses it other than for games or music is when she's bored and wants to talk to nana or auntie.
I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't have a proper iphone soon though as all the family have them.
I'm not in favour myself but these are the times we live in and these people are 'the iphone generation' where if you want something you have it
No it is not a suitable present to buy for another person’s child.
Without wishing to sound too Daily Mail about all this it's kind of on a par with them deciding things like when you should start to tell them about sex and educate them there. It's not about the physical item or gift, it's about the symbolism and how they interact with others.
Would not be impressed if i were dad.
Without wishing to sound too Daily Mail about all this it's kind of on a par with them deciding things like when you should start to tell them about sex and educate them there. It's not about the physical item or gift, it's about the symbolism and how they interact with others.
Would not be impressed if i were dad.
I think as soon as I allow my daughter and son (currently 5 and 2, so a long way off yet) to leave the house and go places on their own is the time they will get their own phones. If I expect them to take themselves off to school every day, I would like them to have a way to contact someone if they need to.
When I was a kid, there was a phone box on every corner. If I needed to call someone, I could call the operator and ask for them to charge the call to the receiver (likely my Mum at home). These days, I can't think of a single phone box in my town, so it's a lot harder for a child to contact their parent without their own phone.
When my children do start leaving the house on their own, they will get a phone, but I'm not talking a smartphone, I'm talking a cheap and cheerful phone that is actually a phone, not a mobile computer, for them to make phone calls on. Beyond that, they simply do not need. We have tablets, consoles and computers at home for playing games. They are banned in school anyway.
When I was a kid, there was a phone box on every corner. If I needed to call someone, I could call the operator and ask for them to charge the call to the receiver (likely my Mum at home). These days, I can't think of a single phone box in my town, so it's a lot harder for a child to contact their parent without their own phone.
When my children do start leaving the house on their own, they will get a phone, but I'm not talking a smartphone, I'm talking a cheap and cheerful phone that is actually a phone, not a mobile computer, for them to make phone calls on. Beyond that, they simply do not need. We have tablets, consoles and computers at home for playing games. They are banned in school anyway.
Offthegrid said:
One of my close relatives (who I have an iffy relationship with...not terrible, but on the odd occasion we meet its argumentative at best.....lets say its a parent, its not...but close enough) gave them a mobile phone with £5 of pre paid for a present for a 9th birthday.
I need a reality check....is that a nice gift (kid loves it!) or is some thing that a) I need to now fund (and I wont because of b) b) is not something I think they need while at junior school c) is something they should check with the parent on first???
Cool gift or dumb gift?
Am I the only one who doesn't understand this?I need a reality check....is that a nice gift (kid loves it!) or is some thing that a) I need to now fund (and I wont because of b) b) is not something I think they need while at junior school c) is something they should check with the parent on first???
Cool gift or dumb gift?
Is this your kid that a relative gave a phone to, or did you give a phone to someone elses kid?
Either way, it is a moronic present as a phone is something a parent chooses an appropriate age for and not a random relative.
If someone gave one of my kids a phone before they had one, I would give it back to them I think.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff