[ilovemyhusband217]

Hi all, my daughter has a blackberry pearl 8100 series. I am concerned about some texting she has done. Is there a way that I can upload the text history to my computer to print? Thanks so much from a concerned parent.

[JSanders]

Nope, you can't.

You can, however, allow her to only use the BB to text while in the public area of your home, not in the bedroom or in private. You can also not pay her bill.

While what you need is not possible, neither do we condone spying. For all we know, you are the daughter wanting to read Mom's BB.

You know what I mean?

[dc/dc]

Originally Posted by JSanders

Nope, you can't.

You can, however, allow her to only use the BB to text while in the public area of your home, not in the bedroom or in private. You can also not pay her bill.

While what you need is not possible, neither do we condone spying. For all we know, you are the daughter wanting to read Mom's BB.

You know what I mean?

Well put.

If you're concerned about your daughter's texting, be a good parent and talk to her about it.

[Shaun]

Since you are on ATT, I would suggest you enable SmartLimits on your daughter's phone. Its a great feature for $5 per month.

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by dc/dc

be a good parent and talk to her about it.

That's the key.

How do I know? I have been there. I have one older than the original poster.

[ilovemyhusband217]

Thanks everyone for such prompt replies. Yes, I certainly have talked with her about her texting habits, and the phone now stays with me after 9 pm. I just hoped there was a way to easier share with my husband a timeline of her texting. I have a blackjack, so I'm just not famiar with the BB.

[ilovemyhusband217]

Shaun, what is "Smart Limits"?

[betterlate1]

I am yet more conservative than JS...I look at the data log of every bill. I don't have access to the actual text but I know the numbers they're going to. As long as I pay the bill you have no reason to question why.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by ilovemyhusband217

Shaun, what is "Smart Limits"?

SmartLimits is a feature that AT&T offers that lets a parent set the schedule that the phone can be operational, set text and call limits per billing cycle, and even specify the numbers that the phone can send and receive phone calls and texts.

A more detailed description is available in the AT&T OAM.

[sid_kid]

i dont condone spying either but if you are paying the bill it is definitely your right to know what is going on with said device...you may want to try and google "text message monitor" and see what pops up...just make sure that if you are going to use any services to "monitor" your childs texting, make her aware of it. sometimes just knowing that you are being watched is enough incentive to do the right thing...

[dc/dc]

Originally Posted by sid_kid

i dont condone spying either but if you are paying the bill it is definitely your right to know what is going on with said device...you may want to try and google "text message monitor" and see what pops up...just make sure that if you are going to use any services to "monitor" your childs texting, make her aware of it. sometimes just knowing that you are being watched is enough incentive to do the right thing...

As we say in business, it keeps honest people honest.

[kjjb0204]

Hate to say it, but if you're determined to find a way to log her texts, Windows Mobile and Symbian OS devices have software available to record everything that's done on the device. Nothing out there for a BB that I know of.

[JSanders]

Originally Posted by betterlate1

I am yet more conservative than JS...I look at the data log of every bill. I don't have access to the actual text but I know the numbers they're going to. As long as I pay the bill you have no reason to question why.

Exactly ^^ what I did in my case.

[kjjb0204]

All I can say is I'm glad I'm not experiencing this yet with my kids (both under 7). No cell, no bb. Not sure how I will compromise between trust, privacy and legitimate concern.

[wootwho]

LovesHerHusband - I just got my BB a few weeks ago so I can't talk to your text log question.

I sympathize! While WE are paying our 15 year old daughter's cell bill we will read her texts from time to time. I set the ground rules 3 or 4 years ago when I allowed her to her first IM account. I told her that nothing she said was private and that we could look over her shoulder at any time. (Then I learned how to set up the chat log). The same goes with the cell.

Am I spying? I don't think so. It's more like keeping tabs. As parents of fifteen year olds know, they are not especially talkative individuals when it comes to their social lives.

Do I trust my daughter? Yes I do. Do I read chats/text every day? No, just occasionally to get a sense of what's going on.

But I can say that you DO find out what the friends are up to. Ex. Last year a boy (friend) she was IM'ing cut/pasted a chat where her BEST friend told this boy the she (best friend) was sitting there in her bra and panties and she went on to mention the undergarments a few more times. Clearly this is not what you want your kid to be IM'ing. So, the best friend's judgement dropped some points on my scale.

IMHO - Just because the technology is available does NOT give the child a right to 100% privacy from the bill payer (I mean parent!) Nor does it mean that you MUST trust your child. Or that you are a HORRIBLE LOW-LIFE SNEAKY parent for wanting to know what your child is up to. Sorry folks, talking does not always work. If your child is open and tells you things, great, but that's not the norm.

To me it's like the "old days" where there was one phone in the house and your parents could hear when you were on the phone. Do you think they didn't listen occasionally?

I have no problem keeping a pulse on what is going on with my daughter and her friends. Frankly I'd feel like a HORRIBLE parent for NOT using whatever means is available to gauge what they are up to.

BTW did you ever notice how its the parents who trust their kids and give them total freedom who are shocked when they learn what their kid is REALLY doing?

Sorry folks, I am not going to find out my daughter is into drinking, drugs, sex after its a major problem.

LovesHusband - good luck finding out what you are after and I (for one) think you are better parent for trying to do so.

[JSanders]

wootwho, I think you misread some of these posts.

I agree 101% percent with what you are saying--as it regards family matters. For me, it's "been there done that". I have a 22 yo and and 8 yo. I knew exactly what was going on, my son knew it and from time to time we talked about it when I recognized something objectionable.

My point in the first post is this... which you and some in this thread have missed, is that WE don't know who "lovesherhusband" is. This could be the daughter spying on Mom, the wife spying on the husband, or who knows who it is. Could be your wife.

And believe me, we see these posts everyday in this forum. Hers/His is not the first, and won't be the last.
--"I need to see who my wife is texting",
--"I found this BB and I want to break the password so I can return it to the owner",
--"I think my husband is having an affair"
--"How can I see my employees text messages"
--"I know my boss is having an affair and his wife wants to know"

Many of us with a few more posts than one see this daily. So there "could be" more to this than Mom keeping tabs on little Jessica. You and I just don't know.

And you know what, I'll be a bit more honest here... there is a way to do EXACTLY what she needs. I know how. And it is not difficult.

Will I tell my best friend which I know personally and understand the real need? Yea.
Will I tell a complete stranger here, unknown to any of us what the true intentions are? No.

[Caramelita]

Originally Posted by Shaun

Since you are on ATT, I would suggest you enable SmartLimits on your daughter's phone. Its a great feature for $5 per month.

thats a good idea...

[tennlotteryman]

just contacted mymobilewatchdog who ill let post info about there program and all that is needed.

Monitor Your Child's Cell Phone, Text Messages and Email With Alerts to Unauthorized Activity with RADAR, My Mobile Watchdog

Here is some info off the web site.

Once you have activated your child's My Mobile Watchdog Phone, you can log into your web application and see all of your child's contacts. You can then talk with your child and determine for yourself who will be:

From Trusted,Suspicious or Unapproved.

When a Suspicious or Unauthorized person tries to call, text, or email your child, it is routed through the My Mobile Watchdog Data Center. Notifications are then sent to all persons you have established from your web application. From your My Mobile Watchdog web application or My Mobile Watchdog Phone, you will be able to see all suspicious activity along with full content (including images). You can also print out
reports to pass on to law enforcement or school officials.

How will they know?

A message appears on the phone about every 24 hours or whenever the phone is turned on. It lets them know that My Mobile Watchdog is monitoring and protecting their phone. They push any button to agree and continue phone use.

Can my child remove the software from their phone?

While no software is completely immune from removal, My Mobile Watchdog will let you know if your child has removed the software from their phone. If your child deletes it, they will be unable to reactivate their phone without your security code.

[zduchene]

If you are on a BES or even the free BPS you can set it to log all text messages and phone calls. Most business do this I think to protect themselves.

[mauidan]

Mymobilewatchdog.com