For parents of teens?

Question

Ok,this is mostly for parents of teens.
When your child asks you for money or something do you just give it to them?
And just flat out what is the MOST appropriate age for someone to get a cell phone?
I'm 16,but I'm just wondering what parents opinions are.

This has nothing to do with me,as the lady rambling about me needing to grow up and blah blah blah assumes.I am just asking to see if teens are really spoiled are not!

Answer 1

money should be earned by chores etc, as for cell phone ok!

Answer 2

My daughters are teenagers (17 & 15). My oldest got a cell phone when she got her driver's license. I think that is most appropriate because I don't want her driving somewhere and breaking down and having to ask a stranger for help. She works on the weekends, gets great grades and does several after school activities, I give her money all the time, put minutes on her cell phone and help her pay her car insurance! My 15yr old will get a phone when she gets her license and will have all the same privaleges my oldest has. They are both responsible and I know where the money is going (lip gloss, clothes, movies, CDs). If I thought they were doing something wrong with it, no I wouldn't give it to them but if a child is responsible then I don't see why not. Teen years are supposed to be the best years of your childhood so I think it is my job as a parent to help make them that way. And before I see people comment.....my children aren't spoiled, they help around the house tremendously, keep their grades great and are trustworthy.

Answer 3

I think that if you are handed everything in life, you will just become a spoiled brat. I have never had a cell phone and never got one when I wanted it. When I was 14 I got a part time job of about 20 hours a week, and was no longer given allowance or clothing money (except for necessities such as winter jackets, and one pair of pants, a few t-shirts and a school uniform every year).

Having grown up that way, living on my own now, I am able to budget really well and know the value of a dollar.

You are 16, if you need money, get a job. And you do NOT need a cell phone. What my mother told me was true, when would you possibly be in a situation when you needed a phone and a pay-phone wasn't available except in a car emergency? My parents had a cell for each car on pre-paid minutes for emergancies only, and it was barely ever used.

If your parents are raising you right, they will make you earn what you get, and it sounds like they are :)

Answer 4

My children earn money. They do chores around the house or run errands for us. This is a family and my husband and I both work, and we want the kids to understand how the world works, too. If you don't work, if you don't pitch in, you don't have money. There are some things we pay for, and we often give them money as a way to thank them for something, but for the most part they work around the house in order to get money to spend.

I think kids need cell phones at different ages. We got them for our kids when we realized they may need to contact us when they were away from accessible phones. The younger was about 14 and the older was about 16 when they got them but I think getting them younger may be justified in some cases now that i know how much safer I feel for them when they are away from home. After they got them we realized it was a great idea because we can always reach them.

Kids should DEFINTELY have cell phones once they start driving, although they should NEVER talk on the phone while driving. On a couple of occassions my older son has had car trouble and because he had a cell phone we could get there quickly and he didn't have to walk down the highway at night looking for a phone.

Good luck!

Answer 5

My son is 13. He has had a cell phone in the past when he was
walking home alone after school and going out with friends so
we could keep tabs on him. I think by 16, you should at least have a cell phone just so your parents can reach you and vice versa when you are away from them. As far as money, parents should give their teens enough money for food and a movie if they are old enough to go out alone with friends, but the teen also needs to help the parent out too. Maybe do some extra things around the house for extra money. If a teen drives, they must have a job to help out with the car or at least pay for their insurance. If you have a taste for fashion, think about your parents. It's hard enough to pay the bills, let alone pay for expensive clothes too. You know more what your parents can afford and what they can't than I do, so maybe you should sit down and talk with them and see what their opinion is. Let them know you are serious and that if they need more from you, then you are there for them too.

Answer 6

My teen has a budget that he must live by(this includes lunch at school). If he wants more, he must earn it. That is how life works. He also doesn't have a cell phone. I don't think it's neccesary because he isn't usually anywhere that there isn't a land line phone to use or with one of his parents. Maybe when he starts driving (which won't be until he can help pay the insurance and car payment and gas) I'll think about getting him a prepaid cell phone with minutes on it for emergencies only. You don't need to talk on the phone while driving as an experienced driver, much less a teen. In the real world you need to know how to live within your means. If you don't then life can be difficult. It's not easy to get out of debt or fix bad credit.

Answer 7

My 13 year old has had a cell phone since she was 10. My 8 year old son has a cell phone. I got them cell phones because when they are out playing, I like the security feeling of being in touch with them at all times. When we got them the phones, they were walking nearly a mile to school and back. I was working, and I felt more comfortable with them having a phone for emergencies. It also helps now, because for example, I was out with my husband one evening, and a wind storm caused the power to go out. We have cable telephone, so when the power goes, so does the phone. If they didnt have their cell phones, they would not have been able to call us to tell us what happened. As far as them asking for something and whether or not they get it...it depends on what it is. They both do chores, more than just their bedrooms, and they get an allowance. My daughter though, has been wanting this specific pair of shoes for over a month. I saw them today, and decided to suprise her with them. They both get great grades and are very responsible. So they do tend to get quite a bit.

Answer 8

I have 4 girls ages 20, 12 ,6 and 2. All but the 2 yr old have a cell phone. The 6 yr old rarely uses hers. As far as money the 20 yr old has a job and I make the 12 and 6 yr old do chores for their money.

Answer 9

I do like to rewards my kids sometimes if they have done something really great.
My daughter who is turning 12 but thinks she is 15 lol do get pocket money but she has to do a few shores around the house, you know and help me around. She does slack off sometimes like I have been asking her since last night to empty the dishwasher and she still has not done it...and I am waiting for her to wake up this morning so she still has to do it....But she is good otherwise so it does not really matter how much she does or not.
And yes she has a mobile phone (for at least a year now) and I buy her credits once a month, she just has to manage to not to run out of credit within the month. When we go shopping for instance, she just goes off her way and i can always contact her...mobile phones are great!

Answer 10

We don't just hand our daughter money, if she wants extra money she has to earn it. She baby sits or does extra work around the house to earn the money.
The most appropriate age for a cell phone is when you can pay the bill yourself. Our daughter has been asking for a cell phone for a few years now...we tell her when she can earn enough to pay the bill, then she can get a cell phone.

Answer 11

I don't know the answer to this....my stepkids are teens, but they don't ask for much, so giving stuff to them is no big deal. The phone thing I"m on the fence about. My stepdaughter had a cell phone at 14, but she talked and texted a lot of guys and friends that her mom, dad, stepdad, and myself had no clue, and she ended up getting in trouble and sneaking around etc....all because of the access the phone gave her.