Teenagers & text msg.

[projecthog]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

That mean you're no Einstein like me?

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Talk about cheap. I remember when you could go to a booth on the corner, drop a quarter in a slot, and talk all day. Then we got modern. We got a phone in our house. We could talk all day on that as long as we were talking to someone in our same town. My, how we've gone backwards. Now we have to type the message out.

 

[JB]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

RATZAKRATZA!!!

Giving a preteen or teen a cell phone that YOU are gonna pay for is like pulling the plug on your financial pool. Texting or just yakking with no idea or concern for the cost can put you in trouble real quick and train him/her to abuse credit in the future.

A cell phone is an excellent way to train kids in financial responsibility and money management. A plan where THEY prepay for a certain number of minutes and the phone goes dead when those are used up cements the relationship between using it and paying for it.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

My kids did not get cell phones untill they were in college. Both of them started community college at 16 y\o so they really needed to drive as well. I put them on my Verizon family plan at an extra $10.00 mo per phone. They used pooled minutes from my main plan. They got no texting at all and I gave them each a monthly minute allowance that they could use at their discretion.

For the most part they dutifully stayed within their limits. They are both out of school now but they are still on my plan and must conform to the minute allowance I give them. Only now they pay me for their plan. They've both added unlimited texting at $10.00 a month and I just added that to their monthly charge.

This gives them an allotment of minutes, at a cheaper cost, than if they were to be on independent plans. Fortunately I never have to fight with them for overuse or abuse.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

I'm with Shizzy 100%. If the kids can't afford it by earning it, they don't have it. Anything else is supporting the current bailout mentality we have going on right now in the US and elsewhere. Simply stealing from others (parents in this case) in order to continue the "I want it now!!" approach to life will make you and your kids a lot worse off.

Giving them what they want will make them cool now and the coolest drive through cashier in town later. Let them fail now so they are able to strive for success later.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

A good friend of mine is a school teacher in high school. They have to take away the phones in class due to texting. Some of these kids were so good that thay were texting with there phones in there pockets with out looking at them. Some of these kids were up to 10,000 textes a month.

 

[catfishcharlie]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

I agree with what QC wrote and that is the plan I use. Even at 57 years old I think that texting is great. I stay in touch with my kids at any end of the earth and you dont have to get a long conversation.
$5 additional a month is not much for the satisfaction of being in touch with your kids.
Sure I went thru all the losses of phones and brace retainers and car keys but eventually they get to where they can keep up with things...Raiseing kids nowdays is not cheap...Catfish charlie

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

I'm with Shizzy 100%. If the kids can't afford it by earning it, they don't have it. Anything else is supporting the current bailout mentality we have going on right now in the US and elsewhere. Simply stealing from others (parents in this case) in order to continue the "I want it now!!" approach to life will make you and your kids a lot worse off.

Giving them what they want will make them cool now and the coolest drive through cashier in town later. Let them fail now so they are able to strive for success later.

growing up I thought my parents were cheap B#@tards but as each year passes I have found myself thanking them for what they did. once I got out on my own and found myself driving a rusty truck I paid for sitting in the crappy place I pay the rent on and eating ramen noodles for the 5th time this week and never once did the thought of calling Mommy or Daddy for some money cross my mind. I had a roof, Had wheels and had partially full stomach so life was good. the one time I did borrow that $20 was to put gas in my truck to get me to work till payday.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Often wondered how we ever survived without texting or mobile telephones !!!
Mrs Ken and myself manage just fine with our $15 a month pay as you go phones. We only use them if we really need them and have all kinds of minutes banked at the end of each month.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

I hate texting! To me, its a very inefficient way of communicating. That said, Sprint as a pretty nifty plan called All In One. For about $100/month, you get unlimited everything - mobil, texting, internet, email, television (yup, TV on the dang phone!) and GPS. I just switched from Vreiosn and am very happy with the change.

 

[kkr26]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Keep an eye on the bill if you have unlimited. My neice sent 10000+ messages in one month. 80 + while we were at dinner for one hour.

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Not to hijack your thread...but the real downside to texting was evident here lately by the deaths of three youngsters. One ran into a stopped tanker truck, stopped at a RR crossing. He was texting and never hit the brakes. The most recent was in the past few weeks when a 17 yo was hit head on by a 19 yo texting her boyfriend and crossed into oncoming traffic..... Why can't they just talk??

 

[Nandy]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Txtng is a gr8 way 2 communic8. I luv it!!!
My daughter got her first phone around age 13 due to my stupidity, long story all my fault. She has only once gone over her txt limit and after a good talk she has never gone over it again. Neither has she ever gone over her minutes limits. Actually, she even sometimes seems annoyed by the fact that her momma forces her to have her phone for security reasons... A different teen... Unlimited text is the way to go for heavy users. Pay as you go is the worst phone/plan you could ever got unless she really dont use the phone...

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

I am with Jay no texting here every once in a while I will get a text read and delete and couple days they call and ask Did you get my text? I say yep,then they ask why I didn't text back and I say you called me anyways .Had an employee all he did was text finally had to ask what I paid him to do work or text his friends,I guess he picked the wrong answer

 

[DJ]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

We have a Verizon Family plan, runs about 240/mo. That's for 4 phones, Mom plus 3 kids, 13, 15 and 20 (mine is separate company supplied). They all have unlimited Txts (Mrs. too), the oldest has a Blackberry, and that includes his separate email and Internet use. It's called the Family Plan or something. I suggest unlimited txtng, and limited minutes, Verizon has been very honest about suggesting plans that will be better for us after reviewing a bill with us. You have to ask, but it was worth a few minutes.

Ultimately I think txtng is cheaper, they don't simply stay on the phone although it is always glued to them. You can get quick notes to from the kids wherever you are, share info, even pics etc. So I think it is pretty much a good thing.

The plan also includes something for the phones, but I have no idea what portion of the contract that is. Also, we add insurance. That's around $5 month per phone, and there is a $50 deductible, so once we reach a point in the contract that a replacement phone would be less than $50, I cancel the insurance. I re-up when we "upgrade" to a new phone. I have replaced 3 phones under the insurance. $50, we have it in two days, all done on the net, no questions asked. Most typical issue is water damage . . .

We have the same thing.

The issue I have with texting is that it seems to take precedence over anything else. People will respond, to a text, no matter what they are doing. Remember the train driver in CA? It's not only rude to the people that are actually talking to you but can be dangerous, as previously mentioned.

 

[evinice66]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

i didnt read everything here but yahoo instant messenger on the computor has a feature where you can text ( send sms) after you type in the phone number and then its just like instant messaging except your using your computor and they are using there phone. i use that as an alternative and just thought it might help some people to know that...

 

[Don S]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

My neice sent 10000+ messages in one month. 80 + while we were at dinner for one hour.

Perfect example, either texting or cell phone calls at dinner or while talking to someone in person, is downright rude...... Period.
There is a time an place for everything.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

I use the Verizon's family plan, 4 phones, 2 adult, 2 college girls, 1700 mins, unlimited texts, unlimited network calls, nites and week ends anyone. and long distance, 20% if your a military, or qualifying corporate customer, that's just about anyone with a job, just ask. 129 + tax
I buy my phones on a one year plan, cost 50 extra up front, instead of insurance, and get the rugged model that is water and very shock proof, its unbreakable, reports are that some have been run over by cars and undamaged. "g phone"
wife has dropped hers to the bottom of the hot tub, no problem.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Texting is a terrible thing, period.

If you are looking for a decent cell plan, check out Sprint's "Simply Everything" plan.

As its name implied, the new Simply Everything plan provides customers ?Everything?, including unlimited voice, data, text, e-mail, Web-surfing, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS Navigation, Direct Connect and Group Connect for only $99.99 per month, which seems even better than other unlimited plans.

Its been good for us.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Teenagers & text msg.

Not to hijack your thread...but the real downside to texting was evident here lately by the deaths of three youngsters. One ran into a stopped tanker truck, stopped at a RR crossing. He was texting and never hit the brakes. The most recent was in the past few weeks when a 17 yo was hit head on by a 19 yo texting her boyfriend and crossed into oncoming traffic..... Why can't they just talk??

And that is the tragic reality we could be supplying to our loved ones !!!!

Scares Me !!!