for not letting my 9yr old have a mobile phone?

[twirlymum]

I can't see the point. I take her everywhere.
BUT all her friends have one (I know most kids use this as an argument, but in this case it's true).
She feels hard done by and left out when they are texting each other (even though they are all in the same room!).
Am I a mean mother?

Not mean at all. Sensible, practical and normal.

i'd reinforce why she doesn't need one yet and why she is actually cooler than everyone else for being different and spending her pocket money on much better things.

Huffy - I also agree with you about Facebook. My 11yo has been nagging me to go on it for ages but I don't feel she is old enough yet to be sure she will protect hersel well enough. I believe the official minumum age for a Facebook account is 13? There is a good reason for that.

Perhaps your DD could use skype to keep in contact with her friend in Australia? It is less risky than Facebook.

I think 9 is a bit young for a phone but it's an age where being different can be so upsetting. I would probably get the cheapest pay as you go phone and make her pay for credit out of her pocket money. At DDs school the current craze is to have the most basic phone possible anything else is considered too uncool and trying too hard. long may this continue.

I agree with vinegartits. When they start high school at the earliest IMO.

For health reasons it's not even recommended for young children to use mobile phones except for text messages.

OK.

What's so good about making a child different from her friends for the sake of it? If a child w2ants a 10 quid mobile phone to text her friends, I really, really can't see a problem.

I also - hmm, controversial bit coming - can't see why Facebook is so dangerous.

To be fair to her friends, they haven't made her feel bad about not having one. A couple of their mums said the novelty has worn off already, and they don't even use them any more.
She has also asked about facebook, and I've said no. I run a youth group, and have loads of my kids asking me to be their friend on there. I have declined them all, as I don't want to be thinking about them (ages 9-15) when I'm putting stuff on there!

well if you cant see a problem with it then good for you

Maybe people can't afford a pay as you go phone seeker

and fb - well some of the things my 12 yr old nephew writes on there are pretty shocking and it's addictive and bullying goes in there too

Not being able to afford it is an entirely different thing. I am all for saying to children "sSorry, we can't afford that"

But this is all about them "not needing" a phone - as if there is some sort of principle at stake here.

cant see where i was rude to you seeker

i wouldnt buy one even if a could afford one, thats just my opinion, this isnt a thread about aibu to disagree with seeker

DD won't be getting one if she is likely to show off or make anyone else feel the odd one out for not having one.

That's the alternative yardstick I wish a lot of parents would adopt.

You don't need anyone else to be showing off or making you feel like the odd one out to feel like that. Particularly if you are the odd one out!

People are perfectly entitled to disagree with anon - even me!

I just asked why people would deliberately want their child to be the odd one out just for the sake of it. It's often puzzled me.

anyone - not anon. They can disagree with anon too, obviously!