My 9 year old wants a cellphone. Both her father and I have told that she will not be getting one, does not need one. If there is an emergency at school, the office will call us...her friends can call her at home on the "regular" phone....

I think you plan is great. It will teach some responsibility about money and ownership. I know I spoil my son and buy him lots of stuff but he's only 2 and never asks for anything. When he's 12, he won't be spoiled, he'll earn his allowance, as I did and we'll help him "manage" his money.

I'm glad a couple people think I did the right thing. Personally, it seems he doesn't call me much as it is, so I wondered why he thinks he needs one. But it would make it a bit easier for me to keep track of him. Apparently they even have phones w/ little tracking devices in them. I think that might be a little bit too obnoxious. Don't you?

I'm not a parent, but the prepaid phone seems really smart to this big sister. My little brother went crazy with the texting a few years ago, and smacked my parents (who were on a shared plan with him without a text plan) with a huge bill. At least this way there are no unpleasant surprises.
Coincidentally, did you read Dan Vasquez's column on iPhones this morning? Does a 14-year-old need a $500 phone? Really?

I can't understand why some of his friends have expensive phones that require multi-year contracts. These kids are 12 years old. As for the iphones, I don't think anyone of ANY age needs a $500 phone. If you have that much money and think you need one, save up for a brain transplant! But that's just my opinion ...

This is the world we live in. At 16, he'll want a car cuz all his friends have one. I think its great that we have the technology that allows us to keep in touch with our kids when they are doing god knows what. Our parents only complain because they didn't have the choices we do now.
I think its ok to give your kid a cell phone and pay as you go sounds like the right move. He should learn responsibility, but you also want to protect yourself from any huge bills!

I still struggle with the idea of paying his monthly phone bill. But some people I consulted said they thought parents should pay for a modest amount of minutes per month, as a parental obligation. I guess that's OK, since I'll be using up some of his minutes with my own phone calls to him. But I don't like the idea of paying a monthly cell phone bill for him -- somehow it seems I'm setting him up for a luxurious lifestyle he might not be able to afford on his own. Well, that sounds old-fashioned, I guess. I'm thinking maybe I'll give him 60 minutes a month. He pays for any additional. How many minutes is the parental obligation, you think>?

I have to say I got my son a cell phone for his 9th birthday. We don't have a landline so cell phones are all we have. Now of course I sat him down, gave him the big speech about being responsible with it. I am proud to say that he never lost, broke, or misused his phone in any way. I was so proud of him that when he turned 11 I did the free upgrade and got him little bit nicer one. I think it all depends on how you feel your child is responsible wise. If they tend to be rowdy and break things all the time then you may want to wait on a cell. I don't think that 12 is an inappropriate age at all. Obviously since my son was 9 lol.