Comments on: My Teenage Son, His Cell Phone, and the Bill for $1,055.20 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:41:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-143030 Len Penzo Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:26:21 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-143030 LOL! I guess he's right, Laura! LOL! I guess he’s right, Laura!

]]> By: laura zaranski http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-142622 laura zaranski Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:56:12 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-142622 maybe the words of your nephew will put your texting woe's to rest, "mom just think, we,ve gone back to the quieter days of writng eachother instead of calling" maybe the words of your nephew will put your texting woe’s to rest, “mom just think, we,ve gone back to the quieter days of writng eachother instead of calling”

]]> By: MikeO http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140611 MikeO Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:06:55 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140611 Wow, sounds like your way really taught them how to manage their bills. I know someone whose whole purpose in life is to see their kids fail, rather than teach them young, while the mistakes are recoverable, and the cost is relatively small, eventhough still painfull enough to leave an impression. They also would sound victorious when their, then grown, children would screw up. Wow, sounds like your way really taught them how to manage their bills. I know someone whose whole purpose in life is to see their kids fail, rather than teach them young, while the mistakes are recoverable, and the cost is relatively small, eventhough still painfull enough to leave an impression. They also would sound victorious when their, then grown, children would screw up.

]]> By: MikeO http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140610 MikeO Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:42:13 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140610 oops, Sorry Pam, didn't mean to blast your post, I got carried away and didn't realize I was actually on a particular person's reply, senior moment / blog foul oops, Sorry Pam, didn’t mean to blast your post, I got carried away and didn’t realize I was actually on a particular person’s reply, senior moment / blog foul

]]> By: MikeO http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140609 MikeO Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:39:22 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140609 I had a Trac-phone. I hated texts... Then I realized I was paying a ridiculous 50 cents or something per text. When I started to use it more, it added up REALLY quick. The prepaid cards started to cost more than I pay for unlimed text and data now on Att. (plus the trac phone changed their service and I was getting no signal here) @ all the anti cell phone folks, there's a few things that have changed to push us parents to this point. The schools will no longer let the kids call us on their (school) phones. There are no pay phones. and I like to be updated so I am not going on a wild goose chase when the plan needs to change, or leaving them stranded. (ie - the ball game was canceled, can you come get us?) or when they went to the State band competition, and got back at 2:00 in the morning, the school office is closed, and they are under strict orders to NOT share their phones with the other students, (due to a couple incidents or fears of pics being transferred/sent or out-law BFF texts from estranged texters of other crazed parents) Yea that happened when one parent forbad their daughter to text her boy friend and so she borrowed someone elses phone and called them. So the parent found out and all manner of ridiculousness ensued. Oh the woes of modern parenting. Hey - Why do we need any phone, or the internet, or cable TV, or cars, our GR GR Grama didn't have 'em... I had a Trac-phone. I hated texts… Then I realized I was paying a ridiculous 50 cents or something per text. When I started to use it more, it added up REALLY quick. The prepaid cards started to cost more than I pay for unlimed text and data now on Att. (plus the trac phone changed their service and I was getting no signal here) @ all the anti cell phone folks, there’s a few things that have changed to push us parents to this point. The schools will no longer let the kids call us on their (school) phones. There are no pay phones. and I like to be updated so I am not going on a wild goose chase when the plan needs to change, or leaving them stranded. (ie – the ball game was canceled, can you come get us?) or when they went to the State band competition, and got back at 2:00 in the morning, the school office is closed, and they are under strict orders to NOT share their phones with the other students, (due to a couple incidents or fears of pics being transferred/sent or out-law BFF texts from estranged texters of other crazed parents) Yea that happened when one parent forbad their daughter to text her boy friend and so she borrowed someone elses phone and called them. So the parent found out and all manner of ridiculousness ensued. Oh the woes of modern parenting. Hey – Why do we need any phone, or the internet, or cable TV, or cars, our GR GR Grama didn’t have ‘em…

]]> By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140126 Len Penzo Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:20:35 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140126 "One month, she logged over 16k texts. This is how teenagers communicate." Well said! Pithy and spot on. At the time I had no idea, but now I definitely know better! By the way, since I wrote this post well over a year ago, I have now become quite adept at texting too! In fact, I probably send out 2 or 3 texts a day on average. I know. I could never be a teenager again. “One month, she logged over 16k texts. This is how teenagers communicate.” Well said! Pithy and spot on. At the time I had no idea, but now I definitely know better!

By the way, since I wrote this post well over a year ago, I have now become quite adept at texting too! In fact, I probably send out 2 or 3 texts a day on average. I know. I could never be a teenager again.

]]> By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140125 Len Penzo Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:14:34 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140125 I was born in the 60s too. Although we didn't have cell phones, there <em>were</em> pay phones just about everywhere -- in parks, in stores, bowling alleys and just about every other large business; they were virtually on every corner. So keeping in touch was really never a problem. Today, kids need a cell phone if they are going to be out because those payphones are almost extinct. I was born in the 60s too. Although we didn’t have cell phones, there were pay phones just about everywhere — in parks, in stores, bowling alleys and just about every other large business; they were virtually on every corner. So keeping in touch was really never a problem.

Today, kids need a cell phone if they are going to be out because those payphones are almost extinct.

]]> By: Cheryl http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140101 Cheryl Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:41:58 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140101 This is my first time reading your blog, but what an interesting set of responses. I'm sort of with Laura, the poster above me. My daughter has had a cell since she was 12. We live in the 5th largest city in the US, I am a single mom and commute an hour to work. I wasn't about to leave her without a way to communicate with me. At first, we had a flexpay plan through T-Mobile so that I didn't have to worry about overages with her, but it had unlimited texting. After about 2 years, getting her pretty well trained not to make calls unless absolutely necessary, we switched to a regular plan, with 700 minutes and unlimited texting. She can text all she wants, but calls are for specific purposes. She has never gone over minutes. But she texts over 10k a month. One month, she logged over 16k texts. This is how teenagers communicate. While I'm sure there are a number of reasons not to get your kids phones, because of the technology and how fast things happen, I actually think that kids who do not get to use cell phones and internet, etc., until they are out of the home are handicapped when they do go out into the big bad world. But that's just me. (Oh, and I was born in the 60s, too.) This is my first time reading your blog, but what an interesting set of responses. I’m sort of with Laura, the poster above me. My daughter has had a cell since she was 12. We live in the 5th largest city in the US, I am a single mom and commute an hour to work. I wasn’t about to leave her without a way to communicate with me. At first, we had a flexpay plan through T-Mobile so that I didn’t have to worry about overages with her, but it had unlimited texting. After about 2 years, getting her pretty well trained not to make calls unless absolutely necessary, we switched to a regular plan, with 700 minutes and unlimited texting. She can text all she wants, but calls are for specific purposes. She has never gone over minutes. But she texts over 10k a month. One month, she logged over 16k texts. This is how teenagers communicate.

While I’m sure there are a number of reasons not to get your kids phones, because of the technology and how fast things happen, I actually think that kids who do not get to use cell phones and internet, etc., until they are out of the home are handicapped when they do go out into the big bad world. But that’s just me. (Oh, and I was born in the 60s, too.)

]]> By: Laura http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-140098 Laura Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:53:08 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-140098 Wow. A lot of you sound so mean! Just because you didn't have a cell phone that means your kid shouldn't? I was born in the 60s and can't tell you how much a smart phone improved my life. I am so much more organized. I'm never late now. I don't forget appointments. I call to get info when I think about it. I don't have to wait and remember to call when I get home, etc. my parents never let us go down the street by ourselves no matter how old we were (not even at17). We couldn't afford call waiting so we were allowed to be on the phone for literally one minute before being told to getoffthe phone. My mom was a stay at home mom who had her own things to do so she couldn't be bothered to take us to friends houses and she didn't have time to watch someone else's kid. No one near our age lived anywhere near us. Lonely doesn't even begin to describe it. I would never do that to my kids. My son is three weeks old. When he's older he will be getting our hand me down phones in grade school. Wow. A lot of you sound so mean! Just because you didn’t have a cell phone that means your kid shouldn’t? I was born in the 60s and can’t tell you how much a smart phone improved my life. I am so much more organized. I’m never late now. I don’t forget appointments. I call to get info when I think about it. I don’t have to wait and remember to call when I get home, etc.

my parents never let us go down the street by ourselves no matter how old we were (not even at17). We couldn’t afford call waiting so we were allowed to be on the phone for literally one minute before being told to getoffthe phone. My mom was a stay at home mom who had her own things to do so she couldn’t be bothered to take us to friends houses and she didn’t have time to watch someone else’s kid. No one near our age lived anywhere near us. Lonely doesn’t even begin to describe it. I would never do that to my kids. My son is three weeks old. When he’s older he will be getting our hand me down phones in grade school.

]]> By: Len Penzo http://lenpenzo.com/blog/id1215-my-teenage-son-the-cell-phone-and-a-bill-for-1055-20.html#comment-138893 Len Penzo Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:53:17 +0000 http://lenpenzo.com/blog/?p=1215#comment-138893 Wow, John. You are very fortunate to have those charges reversed. I have a colleague who wasn't so lucky! Wow, John. You are very fortunate to have those charges reversed. I have a colleague who wasn’t so lucky!

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