[phantomtech]

Wirelessly posted (BB 7130e)

So, my daughter's M300 died. I decided to give her my 7130e as she has been hounding me for a while about getting one. I figured why not. Well, we went out to eat and some lady was using her BB at the table next to ours, and my daughter told he that she had one too. The lady flipped out. She started saying that my daughter was too you to have such an advanced phone. I said, "it's not a phone, it's a Blackberry."

The issue was/is, my daughter is 8 and has been using my BB to PIN, BB messenger, use IM+ to chat to relatives. I really don't think there is an issue here. She understands that she is not allowed to add anyone to her phone without my approval (or my wife's approval).

It did get me thinking though. Am I a bad father for getting my daughter hooked on a crackberry so young? In my defense, I'm tired of sharing mine.

[ezrunner]

no you are not

you have given her a means to communicate with family and friends

in time she will learn to master the BB and utilize it to its full capabilities

[koleary19067]

She will thank you later in life

[Jared]

I am going to have to go with the lady on this one sir. My daughters mother bought her a cell phone when she was 6 without telling me and I flipped. She is turning 8 next week and having a Blackberry is the last thing she will have until she is in at least late middle school. Giving a young kids that kind independence could be a dangerous thing.

Unless you have a way of monitoring their usage on the BB (by hooking it up to a BES) you have just given her a dangerous tool to operate outside of your knowledge. I know for one my daughter isnt going to be texting or BBMing with little Johnny over there during the wee hours of the morn anytime soon.

The fact is, right now her cell phone is locked down so the only numbers she can use are the ones we programmed in there and she has no access to change them.

If you gave her a taste of your beer one day and she really liked it, and every time you had a beer there after she really wanted one, would you go to the fridge and just give her one of her own just so you didn't have to share yours?

[Cory Scheuer]

why not hook it up on unite... that way you can control it

[daphne]

I think it's possible for kids that age to be responsible with a BlackBerry, or other phone, but it depends on the kid and how well the parents monitor them. There's been some articles in the news about kids, tweens, and teenagers taking pictures with their phones of themselves and each other and posting them on the internet -- sometimes pictures of themselves partially undressed or worse. Obviously this is not good. The pictures can end up on child porn sites, can be altered, etc.

I've been letting my 9 year old granddaughter play with my old flip phone., but it doesn't have service. By the time she gets a phone of her own, she will be well versed in how to use it. She already figured out things on the flip phone I never knew.

[Lord Chrispin]

I think the "lady" is just a busybody that finds reasons to bi**h about stuff. Good on ya for showing her "a whole new world" lol. *cue Aladdin music*

[dc/dc]

I have mixed feelings about this. Personally I believe that SMS and IM have ruined young people's grasp of the English language (as evidenced by many posters on this forum that won't bother to spell out "you" or other such words). On the other hand, I think it is very important in this day and time for children to be able to communicate with their parents. That said, I would only ever buy my kids one nice phone. If they broke it or otherwise mistreated it, they would be on their own for the next one. I wouldn't even give them my cast offs.

[test54]

i think its all about her use of it, no problem by me. more that children get to use technology the better, it will help later in life.

[rachamphetamine]

Originally Posted by dc/dc

I have mixed feelings about this. Personally I believe that SMS and IM have ruined young people's grasp of the English language (as evidenced by many posters on this forum that won't bother to spell out "you" or other such words). On the other hand, I think it is very important in this day and time for children to be able to communicate with their parents. That said, I would only ever buy my kids one nice phone. If they broke it or otherwise mistreated it, they would be on their own for the next one. I wouldn't even give them my cast offs.

I feel much the same. But, I think it also depends on the kid(s) in question... so mixed feelings it is.

[SteveO86]

Many many points to look at....

1. Your daughter is very young to have such an "open" device..
2. She is using this device to stay in touch with family and friends.
3. I would make sure family is having her use proper english while typing.. Not internet talk.
4. Unite!/BES would be good to monitor it, she is your daughter but everyone needs guidence and monitoring especially a child that young.
5. That lady had no right at all to question your parenting or to judge people need to take a step back and manage their own life not to bi*** and moan at the first thing they see.. I probably would have had a he11 of an aguement with her in the middle of everything..

Buttom line... You should trust her, however as her parent you should monitor her as well. A good sense of right/wrong and just plain olde common sense is something that is missing nowadays, kids need guidence don't let her get too independent.

[phantomtech]

Wirelessly posted (BB 7130e)

All three of my children have phones, my daughter (the youngest) is the only one with a blackberry. All three are required to use proper english when texting family and family friends. That being said, I know that they use internet speak/ texting with their schoolmates.



As the 7130e is cameraless, I have no worries there. As for the other phones that my other children have, they have picture mail disabled. They can take pics, but they can not send nor receive pics.



My children are being raised in a very technology driven household (I am slowly converting most items over to computer driven/monitored). For instance, the lights, furnace, alarm system, etc are all monitored and/or controlled by the computer.



They also all know that the phones are a priviledge and not a toy. They also know that until they have their own accounts, I can monitor where they go and who they talk to. They are also being tracked by the gps in their phones.

I am all about giving them freedom, however I am not so blind as to let them go without the proper tools for both them and me.



All three of my kids received there first cell phones when they turned six. My oldest son (14 years old) still offers his phone to me to check it even though he knows I don't need to see it. He has shown me text messages that he has received that he shouldn't have received. They know that getting "caught" is much worse then "turning themselves in". Its not a fear thing, it's just that they have been raised not to hide things from my wife and me. We punish dishonesty harsher than honesty.

And one last thing... I have the Blackberry set up to auto turn off at 10pm and back on at 8am. She knows that if I find it on during this time frame, she looses it. Unless she asks permission for it to be on.

[SteveO86]

Sounds like you got it all under control.. I wouldn't worry about a thing.

Some people just feel a need to offer their unwanted opinion. Considering she you the words "such an advanced phone" and not BlackBerry or anything she is probably ignorant to many things technology and as we all know ignorance is bliss, she is probably telling the story of a little girl with a BlackBerry to her friends living her life normally. (sorry my little rant.. I can't stand people like that and I will shut up now..)

Bottom line, sounds like you got it under control.. I would probably look at the phones once and while to be sure, every once and a while, not every day you don't want to give them the idea that you don't trust them.

[tennlotteryman]

DADDY !!! "phantomtech" where you been all my life ?

(making a wish) <~~~~ I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH <OPEN EYES> I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH I HAD THE STORM

[rachamphetamine]

Originally Posted by SteveO86

Sounds like you got it all under control.. I wouldn't worry about a thing.

Agreed

[phantomtech]

Wirelessly posted (BB 7130e)

Originally Posted by tennlotteryman

DADDY !!! "phantomtech" where you been all my life ?

(making a wish) <~~~~ I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH <OPEN EYES> I WISH I HAD THE STORM I WISH I HAD THE STORM

Lol. Um, I don't know. Your mother told me to leave you and her alone. So I did.

Now the oldest two and my wife want one also. Something about the fact that the oldest and youngest in the family have them, the middle wants them.