Dilemma over sons mobile?

nickj_2

sophieschoice wrote: »

I think you are being unfair.
It's wonderfully refreshing not to hear of a teenager who is constantly on the phone!
He's obviously independent and grown up enough not to feel he needs one

indeed, given that most teenagers seem incapable of going more that a couple of minutes without looking at their phone , we did believe it or not manage quite nicely before mobiles

atrixblue.-MFR-.

I don't carry a mobile phone im not interested in them.

my wife bought me a phone whilst I was in work my wife loves to chat and text where as I liked to just get on with my day undisturbed, I got so fed up with the phone I threw it into a meter pit and left it there to rot and never had one since.

we had a works phone so it wasn't like I could not be contacted it was just that I hate phones they create arguments, and mis-understandings most of the time.

in my opinion an expensive phone on a contract for a child is a no go even if it is a handme down.

Gloomendoom

downshifted wrote: »

Sounds like my husband! he thinks "mobile" phone meane "leave lying in the windowsill" phone!

That sounds like me. My wife, friends and colleagues have given up trying to contact me on my mobile phone. It's virtually always off or mislaid somewhere. I put £30 credit on it in 2010 and I still have £28.46 left.

OP If your son was old enough, I'd buy him a pint.

Wilma33

Which iphone is it? A 14 year old might be ashamed to be seen with an iphone 3? Do all his mates have blackberries or newer iphones?

FBaby

There are two issues, one that you are paying for a contract and feel it is a waste of money and two, you can't get a hold of him when you need to (and vice versa) which defeats the whole point of you paying for a mobile.

If I were you, I would tell him that if he wants you to pay for his contract/PAYG, he should be taking the phone when he goes out and answer when you call (or call you back asap). If he wants to use his phone as he wishes, he can pay for it with his pocket money....which he can earn by doing the chores he is expected to do.

It doesn't solve the issue of you not being to get a hold of him, but then you know you can't count on his friends to take messages!

balletshoes

If my DD used her phone as little as your son uses his OP, she'd be on a basic payg plan, and no way would she be getting a different handset. He has ways of getting in touch with you without using his own phone, he clearly doesn't need his own phone (from his own actions) so I'd say, stop the contract when you can, put him on payg (with him responsible for paying for top-ups over £10 per month if thats what you think is reasonable), and if things change and his phone usage/habits change, thats when to think about getting a (capped) contract again.

lostinrates

peachyprice wrote: »

OP, could it be that he's having the pee taken out of him because it's an old iphone, so he'd rather not take it?

Agree with others though, change it to PAYG and if he wants a newer handset let him save for it.

Goodness gracious help us if this is the case. :eek:

Op, I'd be terrified after my son were assaulted in that manner, how is it he is still seeing his attacker, was no action taken? Why is he not scared enough to be carrying his phone after this? Or is he too scared to carry his phone? There seems there MUST be more to tell here that could possibly be relevant?

Melonade

Some people seem to think I'm some crazy mum that needs to speak to him every minute or needs to know where he is.... I'm not. And I didn't even know I could get an app to follow him, how strange would that be.

Honestly I just want him to have the phone so IF I need him or he needs me then it's possible without him using someone else's phone.

Yes he is on an iPhone 3 but he asked for it when I got a new phone (hand me down from my dad) , he's had a blackberry and ruined it. His history with phones isn't good so I'm not buying one on contract for him. I did warn him when he took it that he wasn't getting another phone and he agreed. He wants a new iphone 5c for Xmas and a play station 4!!! He thinks I'm loaded.

I've told him tonight he can have a payg sim and buy his own credit, he responded with "I'm not buying my own credit" I just walked away so he could sulk on his own.

peachyprice

Melonade wrote: »

Yes he is on an iPhone 3 but he asked for it when I got a new phone

I bet that's what it is then, he's embarrassed because he hasn't got the latest gadget. He may have asked for it but probably got stick for it when everyone else then got 4's and 5's. Just one reason why I've refused to ever get involved with iphones for children, it's a recipe for disaster.

balletshoes

Melonade wrote: »

Some people seem to think I'm some crazy mum that needs to speak to him every minute or needs to know where he is.... I'm not. And I didn't even know I could get an app to follow him, how strange would that be.

Honestly I just want him to have the phone so IF I need him or he needs me then it's possible without him using someone else's phone.


so start storing his friends' phone numbers in your phone (when he has called you from one of them). Just because he has a phone on him, doesn't mean he'll answer a call etc from you. My colleague had all this with her daughter a couple of years ago, M wouldn't answer her phone to her mum if she didn't want to, so my colleague started storing her daughter's friends numbers when she called from their phones rather than her own (she'd say her phone had run out of charge etc) and then when M persisted in not answering her phone to her mum, mum started calling M's friends and passing on messages :rotfl:. It only took a few of those calls before M realised it was far safer and less embarrassing for her if she just answered her phone when her mum called (and mum wasn't a stalker either, it was when M was late home, past curfew etc)


Yes he is on an iPhone 3 but he asked for it when I got a new phone (hand me down from my dad) , he's had a blackberry and ruined it.
His history with phones isn't good so I'm not buying one on contract for him.
I did warn him when he took it that he wasn't getting another phone and he agreed. He wants a new iphone 5c for Xmas and a play station 4!!! He thinks I'm loaded.

I've told him tonight he can have a payg sim and buy his own credit, he responded with "I'm not buying my own credit" I just walked away so he could sulk on his own.

Great - he doesn't want to pay for credit, you're not going to either, you are getting (or have got) his friend's phone numbers to contact him if you need to, no money is wasted, everybody's happy .