AIBU to buy my 7yo a phone?

[fedupandpissedoff87]

Long story short I work nights five or six nights a week and my daughter stays with either my partner in the house or my mum n dad...my daughters father stays in Nigeria and she see's him maybe twice a year if she's lucky. Because I work up to six nights a week and have sometimes left before she gets home from school I was thinking of buying her her own phone so she can contact her dad thru skype or msg him wen she wants...i plan to only get one tht I can set child locks on and program numbers tht she is allowed to call or text...i told her dad but he said I shouldn't get her one n should only let her skype him wen I'm there which because of works means it may b two or three weeks before they chat.

Am i being unreasonable to want her to have a means of communicatin with him wen she wants or if he wants to contact her cause if he calls nine times out of ten I'm not at home n they cant talk..im not naive I plan to make sure there r rules laid out about who she can call n Il make sure parental locks are on etc so she cant get online unless I ok it wen I'm there

Why can't your partner or parents oversee her calls?

I wouldn't get a phone with Skype/calls/texts on for a 7 year old. you can't stop wrong numbers or cold callers.

Was going to say it was a bit young but for your reason no, it's great to encourage their relationship. was also going say about strict controls but you have that covered. she could have skype and then whatsapp for free messages. sometimes its nice just to be able to do a quick " hi what are you up to?" in a message. I know it's not the same but my sister lives in a Australia and with whatsapp we talk more than ever

My partner n parents would be there to oversee calls etc but its just so she has tht thing of i want to chat to my dad I can...it would b for wen she's at my parents or in the house etc she wouldn't b allowed to take it to school or out with her and if she makes calls it would b when another adult is about its just cause my parents dnt have fones tht support skype and with it being holidays especially she spends a lot of time there

My 8 year old has had one for a few months now, all is fine, world hasn't ended :)

Dont see what the big deal is if its a basic phone these days under your circumstances and you've briefed her on using it. Sounds like her dad may not want her to call him when she feels like it.

Anyway, isn't it his job as a parent to contact "her" often?

My dd has a phone.
She's had one since she was 7.
Means I haven't got to speak to her father half as much as she does it all herself.
I just check all her messages etc regularly.
As pp says, world hasn't ended.

Crusts tht was my thought to start..it sounds like he doesn't want to be inconvenienced to often the reason I want her to contact him is he's married in Nigeria and has a son with his wife and they have another on the way so this would b the only way she can really see them until they visit or she goes over to visit them @monkey that would be a bonus for me also haha ????