"#^&@*& Teenagers" Topic

My 14yo son called a little while ago.

He was using his $200 USD cell phone as a paper weight to keep his papers from blowing off the bleachers while he was at football practice.

Now he has no cell phone.
He still has the papers though.

I said bad words.

Regards, the Gorb

Retarded, every last one of them. I still remember how stupid I was back then! The things I did…

My oldest daughter put her's on speaker phone a few months ago so she could keep talking to friends while doing the laundry and you guessed it, accidently bumped it into the washing machine full of water.

D~

If he has to earn the money for a new phone, then maybe he'll take better care of it.

$200 USD cell phone?

"$200 USD cell phone?"

My thoughts exactly. Unless $200 USD doesn't mean that much to you or the child pays for it themselves, they have no business with such an expensive and delicate item. "Bad words" indicate neither condition was true. Don't buy them such an expensive phone next time?

Man, my phone is only $60. USD

But I think back on my own teenage days, and can do nothing but cringe. The things I said, the lies I told, the things I thought I knew something about but clearly didn't…

Urgh…

My kids have learned that when they wreck their phone they can just ask one of their friends for their old one. Switch the sim card and voila, new phone. It is amazing how resourceful the beggars can become once the free money pipeline is cut off.

Oops, almost said something fezian.

I guess, he comes up with $200 USD and it doe not sound like he has a job. That option is out.

He works off the debt.

He buys a new cell phone with his own money and I bet he will take better care of it.

This is the option that I would use on my son. I guess you will not be getting any more text messages, because you cannot be responsible for your phone.

Mike

Oh jeez. And you know the rule of (most) teenagers: "Finders Keepers". It's going to be a miracle if someone's honest enough to turn it in.

BTW, if I could go back in time and meet myself as a teenager, I'd kick my ass. Really.

Mine phone (and my son's) are the "free with service agreement" models. Now that the iPhone is $100, I'm tempted… but free still beats "coolio."

As for my son, if he wants a phone upgrade, he'll have to pay for it. Ditto if he loses it.

Yeah $200 USD is the retail price.

I got a 'buy 1, get 1' deal for my two kids for Christmas, so it actually cost me $100. USD

So now he has to cough up a $30 USD activation fee for a new number plus whatever he decides to spend on the phone itself.

It definitely won't be as nice as the one which got stolen.

Regards, the Gorb

I traded my teenagers for young adults and now I have grandchildren and in-laws.

Grand Kids are your reward for not killing your teenagers…

My son was careless with his phone and when he dropped it once to often and he had to replace it with his own money (he'd just recieved several Christmas cards containing money). He is much more careful with his new phone since his army buying plans have been set back a full year.

Robert

That's what you get for buying a teenager a $200.00 USD cell phone. :)

Wow, that's a tough hit. I gotta agree though. I wouldn't give my teen anything that expensive.

Thanks,

John

We got three phones a couple years ago, one for me and one each for my two teenage sons. Within 48 hour my oldest 'lost' his.

They were 'free' with the plan. I made him buy a replacement, same model. Cost him 250 bucks.

He wanted to buy a cheaper one and I would not let him. The phones are ALL mine, I LET the boys use them. If they lose or break MY stuff they replace it.

I'm going to jump onto the bandwagon of "don't buy children expensive things if you don't want them lost/ruined".

Of course, we also got along just fine w/o constant communications, when I was a kid…
-Kle.

No cell phones for anyone here, unless s/he pays for it. I don't even keep a phone in my shoe, much less my pocket….

The phones we got were for my wife's and my peace of mind (or Piece of Mind for you Maiden fans). As the boys started driving I wanted them to be able to call if there was a problem and so we could conduct basic 'flight following' procedures. Free with the plan is a good deal UNTIL one gets lost.

If I'm going to let them drive a car worth several thousand dollars, allowing them to use a couple hundred bucks of phone (which again were effectively free) seems like a good investment. We have rules on the use (NO texting, they pay me a dollar for each I catch them making, and I check monthly, as one found out to the tune of over 500 dollars (same idjit that lost the phone and KNEW the rules but did not think I would check). No calls to buddies/girl friends unless purely for link up purposes (I'm at the theater, where are you type stuff) and that gets coordinated with the wife or myself ahead of time or incurs a penalty. They can see their friends at school or use the home phone for most things

They get legitimately used for 'Football practice ran late and I'm on the way home now' or 'I made it to the store and will call when I am done and coming home' type stuff. Also came in handy for the 'I hit a deer, what do I do' and 'the car won't start' calls.

Criticize allowing kids to use one all you want. If I have the tech available and it serves a good purpose (safety issue in my mind) then I'm going to use it. I'm also going to ensure good rules for the use are in place.

CPT Jake, we have the same rules for our daughter's use
of her cell 'phone.

One BIG reason I have 'em: my wife's 'phone and my
daughter's 'phone can each be 'found' by my 'phone,
so if someone is overdue I can check thru Verizon as
to where they are, if their 'phone isn't answered.

This has already come in handy once.

Get him a dirt cheap replacement. Or -- get one from his friends. You can pay the $30.00 USD activation fee and get it back in work.

mjc

I wouldn't be too hard on him. My wife washed hers the other day. (had it 8 years). Now she has to learn a new phone -- punishment enough for her.

mjc

"which got stolen"

Oh man, it got stolen! I read your first post that it got broke falling off the bleachers. Thieving bastards must pay. I've come back to too many broken car windows to have any sympathy for 'em. Hang 'em at high noon; don't care if they're minors.

If I'm going to let them drive a car worth several thousand dollars,

Just imagine your joy when the same fate befalls that.

BTW, you must be in a farm state, if he's driving at 14.
-Kle.

We have rules on the use (NO texting, they pay me a dollar for each I catch them making, and I check monthly

I'm curious; why this rule? Do US mobile contracts not offer free texts?

I'm curious; why this rule? Do US mobile contracts not offer free texts?

HAHAHAHAHA!
We have half the phone services at twice the cost of any country in the EU.

In the US the monthly fee for unlimited texting is often more than than the fee for voice communications.

The cost per text (without a contract) is usually around $.15 USD each.

Regards, the Gorb

HAHAHAHAHA!
We have half the phone services at twice the cost of any country in the EU.

Only if you use the silly little radios. If you use the one on the desk, it's generally much cheaper than in Europe.
-Kle.

The cost per text (without a contract) is usually around $0.15 USD USD each.

I think I pay 12p per text, so it seems like pay-as-you-go isn't too bad.

Thievin' gits. I caught a punk trying to steal a rod and real out of my garage. I literally put my foot up his backside before scrammed which made him drop it. I now keep my garage closed at all times. &^%#ing thieves. Salut y'all!

Bruce the Texas Grognard