What do you do with a teen who had destroyed 4 cellphones?

R

Rev. 6:5

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Cellphone 1: Went missing 2 years ago. We found it 2 months ago in the back yard. It had been run over several times by the mower.

Cellphone 2: Forgot to remove it from his pocket when he dove into a swimming pool.

Cellphone 3: Forgot to remove it from his backpack on school "water day" and it got soaked.

Cellphone 4. Dropped phone and screen smashed.

My son is 14 and he had to mow a bunch of lawns to replace the previous phones. I'm starting to see that it's a lost cause and may not allow him to replace this one. Thank God for the equipment replacement program, though!

I got my first cellphone when I was 28! Okay, that's just cuz I'm old and they were awful expensive back then! :)
 
Look on craigslist/ classifieds etc.. for people selling them cheap on the same carrier. I sold 2 razors at a garage sale once for $20.
 
If he is paying for them, sooner or later he will learn.
If you are paying for them ..STOP.
Should a 14 year old have a cell phone? That's another thread topic.:whistle:
 
his money...he apparently is not concerned about it.

if its your money, stop buying them.

he is clearly not ready for this responsability......
 
JMO: there's no valid reason for kids to have phones.

I never bought my kids phones so they had to do whatever was needed to raise the funds on their own. I don't pay they're bill either.
 
I wasnt allowed a cellphone until i was 17... I am currently 22 and almost despise having it...

The thing is this... I do agree that there are some circumstances where a younger child needs a cellphone. (If they are involved in a lot of extra curricular activities ect...)

But if its just for the sake of calling his or her friends then its really a burden to you and not to the child if he keeps breaking it... I think your son needs to understand there is a limit to your charity... yes charity, because unless he absolutely needs this thing thats exactly what you are doing... being charitable... I only got mine because of the extra curriculars I was involved in and needed an emergency phone just in case... Now that there is Texting it kind of makes that need a bit skewed...

Just my .02 cents
 
How about my son has destroyed 2 in the past 6 months. One dropped in a puddle and one got smashed with a weight in the gym. He pays not me so he has an old one now.

Craigslist and ebay are good sources for used phones.

As to wether or not they should have one. I think about the chance that he gets in a car accident or has gotten himself into situation where he needs assistance. The piece of mind I get with both my boys having phones is worth the money I put out.
 
My son does a lot of volunteer work during the summer where he's away from home every day, so he needs a phone for emergencies (ie. bicycle breaks down).

Yep, he pays for each replacement.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
The things that constitute emergencies these days are so bogus. In the early 90's I had a job that I rode a bike to during summer. Got a flat in the middle of the expressway and had to walk to a payphone. Made a collect call to my dad and he taught me a lesson that day about having spare change to pay for a call. Ended up having to walk the rest of the way home which was a few more miles.

Personal responsibility is something that has to be learned the hard way otherwise the kid will expect to be bailed out everytime there is a little problem.
 
i didn't get my cell phone until 2 years ago and i'm almost 19 if you still have a house phone then his friends can call him through that.
 
Commuta_Busa said:
JMO: there's no valid reason for kids to have phones.

I never bought my kids phones so they had to do whatever was needed to raise the funds on their own. I don't pay they're bill either.
Click to expand...
the parents justify the phone as a "way to know" where the kid is.... My sisters kids it out of control, so she bought him an Iphone... So now he is a disaster with an Iphone to arrange even more trouble than before.. and as for the original reason to "know where he is"?? he just lies... :rofl:

kid wants a phone? let them pay for it lock stock and barrel... or just play soccer mom and buy them what ever they want cause you do not want to listen to the whining...
 
Last edited:
Rev. 6:5 said:
Cellphone 1: Went missing 2 years ago. We found it 2 months ago in the back yard. It had been run over several times by the mower.

Cellphone 2: Forgot to remove it from his pocket when he dove into a swimming pool.

Cellphone 3: Forgot to remove it from his backpack on school "water day" and it got soaked.

Cellphone 4. Dropped phone and screen smashed.

My son is 14 and he had to mow a bunch of lawns to replace the previous phones. I'm starting to see that it's a lost cause and may not allow him to replace this one. Thank God for the equipment replacement program, though!

I got my first cellphone when I was 28! Okay, that's just cuz I'm old and they were awful expensive back then! :)
Click to expand...

1) Make him wait one month to replace it, EVEN though he's still paying.
2) Definitley make him pay for any replacement, EVEN if you have a no charge replacement program.
3) Make him get a protective case for it to eliminate catastrophic damage from simple drops.
4) If you pay the monthly bill, inform him that after the next loss, he will have to get his own account and phone.
5) As a last resort, for "emergency" purposes, only allow him to replace it with a "child" phone. My 14 year old God daughter would be mortified if this penatly was imposed.

If after all that, he still can't take care of his phone, so be it. As long as he must face the consequences of his actions (be sure not to enable him by "loaning" him another family memebers phone, buying him a replacement that he can "work" off or pay for in installments, etc.), at some point it simply becomes his choice.

Best of luck!
 
Projekt said:
The things that constitute emergencies these days are so bogus. In the early 90's I had a job that I rode a bike to during summer. Got a flat in the middle of the expressway and had to walk to a payphone. Made a collect call to my dad and he taught me a lesson that day about having spare change to pay for a call. Ended up having to walk the rest of the way home which was a few more miles.

Personal responsibility is something that has to be learned the hard way otherwise the kid will expect to be bailed out everytime there is a little problem.
Click to expand...

yes but these days most parents dont want thier kids walking, just too many chances for someone else to hurt them or take advantage of them...and i understand your dad teaching you the lesson but times have changes and lessons are tought by other methods...
 
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