My oldest son got his cell phone when he turned 13 and not a day sooner no matter how much he begged and bribed. That was four years ago. My second son got his cell when he was twelve, BECAUSE he begged and bribed. That was three years ago. My third son, who is six, will get his a whole lot sooner.
Colt will get his phone earlier because my husband had a weak moment and promised him he could (which caused me to have a weak moment in the shoe department at Nordstrom). He will get it sooner because the older boys have worn the silver coating off of my shiny resolve and my post traumatic stress syndrome of begging and bribing has tarnished my luster. Most importantly, he will get it earlier because times are a changiní and Iíll be darned if I get old and curmudgeonly. Seriously? I am too young to be curmudgeonly. 40ish is the new 30. Yes?
I have friends who have purchased cell phones as early as six years for their children. Some because they are in a divorce situation and they feel better knowing their kids can reach either parent no matter which house they are staying. Others because their kids go to a school that is at least 20 minutes from their home and they want to know in case of emergency their child can reach them. Still others because life is fluid and if they need to say, ìIíll† be ten minutes late,î or ìMrs. Smith is taking you home today because I am stuck in traffic,î they can.
The truth is, we live in a different time. We expect instant gratification and immediate access to our children. It is now our safety blanket.
While we havenít figured out exactly when we will get Colt his first cell phone (8-11 range is my bestimate), I was really excited to see kajeet hit the market. It is the perfect starter phone at any age. Even if your resolve hasnít been tarnished and you wait until 13 or older, itís the perfect place to start cell phone responsibility. Those of you who read my site, Ooph.com, know that I am all about safety and communication with my kids and this phone offers both.
What I most love about the kajeet phone is that it offers many parental controls. You can program numbers into your childís phone and only those people can call your child and your child can call only those people. You can program the phone so it works during certain hours. You can limit photo sharing and online usage with the unique parental controls kajeet offers.
Watch the video below to get a true understanding of the security this phone offers you and your child.
Whatever age you give in to the cell phone world and whatever phone you decide to use, make sure you monitor it closely. Check their texts, set the parental controls and most importantly talk with them about the importance of safety, strangers and mature use of the phone.
kajeetis a great cell phone solution for parents who, like me, want to stay connected, know where their kids are, and keep them safe online.
Learn more about all that kajeetô has to offer by watching this short video.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of kajeet. The opinions and text are all mine.
Discosure: While I was compensated for this post, the opinions are my own. I would have happily given them their money back before writing about a product I didn’t believe in. You will never find a review on this site of a product I don’t love and believ in. Honest. Abe.