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Originally Posted by GalateaDunkel
 As a young girl I was physically assaulted on my way home from school on more than one occasion. I also experienced countless situations where I felt unsafe for one reason or another. Often because my activities required me to walk or wait for the bus in an area where there weren't a lot of people around or open businesses one could just walk into. Add to that the fact that for several years, starting when I was only ELEVEN, I was subject to a large volume of verbal harassment from men every time I went out. I was pretty street smart but the ability to whip out a phone, loudly say 'hi, Dad' and report my location would have been vastly reassuring in many situations.
Maybe a lot of MDCers live in more sheltered environments but the attitude that young people, especially young women, should just rely on the kindness of strangers for their communication and personal safety needs just blows my mind. Like it's pure spoiled-adolescent self-indulgence to want an easy solution in such situations rather than nervously wander around looking for help, feeling more and more like a target with each passing minute. I also don't understand the attitude that up to date means of communication is a luxury of which teens are unworthy. I'm sure my child will have a phone as soon as she starts going places without supervision. I was in the third grade when I had my first difficulty with a male in a public place. This is the same website where leaving a toddler in a car for one minute while returning a grocery cart is unthinkable? Weird. |
I fully admit I live in an area that is "sheltered" so to speak, and as a parent I will put in effort to keep my kids/teens sheltered and safe. It's my #1 job. If a cell phone will be helpful, we'll get one. I fully understand that parents in other situations and communities would want a cell.
I do believe in the goodness of other people, especially in my experiences in the community where we live. Also, I would have no hesitation helping any child, in any way.
Cell phones may be a helpful safety tool. I don't necessarily think they are the best or only means of providing safety for a child. As this community has a great diversity of people in various situations and with various experiences, to each family their own. I don't see this as a topic with a right or wrong answer to it.
: It's an individual choice for each family. There are families where the benefits of having a cell phone for the kids outweigh the risks, and there are families where the opposite is true. Obviously, there is no "right" answer to this. Bottom line, we can discuss this and pick it apart until our eyes turn blue, the at the end of the day we all walk away from our computers and do what we feel is right for our families. I am of the belief that yes, in some cases, kids do need cell phones. However, there are some people that live in areas and lead lifestyles that simply don't necessitate the use of cell phones. I think that the area in which you live, the activities in which your child participates in, and your particular comfort level and trust in your child is all going to play huge roles in this decision. I my own situation, my kids will have cell phones. I live in a suburb of a large city, where there is crime, and scary people walk at night. There are at least seven dangerous sex offenders living in close proximity to my living area, including one that is one mile from my daughter's school. So yes, when my daughters get older and want to "hang out" with friends and go to the mall, they will have a cell phones. It's well within my comfort level. I can't trust the world that I'm in to keep my kid safe, so I'll do everything in my power to do so. For me, that means cell phone. For you, it might not. Fine, let's agree to disagree.
Why is the no cell phone camp so admant about other kids not needing cell phones? If your kid doesn't she doesn't. Don't get her one.
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