cheap ugg & jimmy choo
There's something about telephones that has probably intrigued kids for as long as phones have been in existence.
ugg & jimmy choo discount
But whereas it used to be commonplace to see a little one chattering into the receiver of a toy phone -- complete with a cord and rotary dial -- you're now more likely to see him expertly flip down the keyboard on mom's disabled cell and start typing.
Replica ugg & jimmy choo shoes
By the time kids hit middle school, though, those who were once content playing with cast-offs now often want real cell phones of their own.
But is it a necessary step toward independence, or just another status symbol, such as an i-Pod or UGG boots?
ugg & jimmy choo kaia leopard
Some people set a minimum age; others suggest that children get a phone when they start participating in activities where a parent isn't present. Still others wait until kids can pay for a portion of the bill.
And some just say no.
ugg & jimmy choo kaia
Tony Cirone, of the accounting firm Equale & Cirone, LLP, in Danbury, said none of his four children has a phone -- despite the three older ones, 14, 11 and 9, asking for them. Often.
"All of their friends have phones," he said. "But to me, there's no need -- certainly not before high school."
ugg & jimmy choo siobhan
He continued, "My kids are irate. It's a real sticking point in our house. We are always hearing about how all their friends have them. But we don't care. That's not the way we parent."
ugg & jimmy choo sora
However, his kids are very active in sports and he does see the value in having a phone on hand during games or practices.
Therefore, they took an old phone, added another line to their plan, and made it a family phone. His wife holds it and leaves it with each of the three older kids when she thinks it's necessary. There is no texting, and no Internet access.
ugg & jimmy choo starlit
Once kids do have one, though, Cirone stressed the importance of forcing them to pay for any overages, and to impress upon them the importance of not using the phone while driving.
ugg & jimmy choo mandah
Janet Bodnar, editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance, suggests kids get a phone when they can pay for it.
"Before you let guilt cloud your better judgment, be honest with yourself and your kids," she cautions parents in a column on the magazine's website. "Is safety really a concern, or is it just a smokescreen so the kids can text their friends or look cool?"
cheap UGG boots
Whatever the rationale, cell phone ownership in kids has increased 68 percent in the past five years, according to a study released in January by the market research firm Mediamark Research and Intelligence.
That study says 20 percent of kids in this country between the ages of 6 and 11 own a cell phone, an increase of almost 12 percent since 2005. The biggest increase was among 10- to 11-year-olds, where there was an 80 percent jump.
UGG boots cheap
That doesn't surprise Deane Renda, principal of Whisconier Middle School in Brookfield. He estimates that between 30 and 40 percent of the fifth-graders in his school have cells. That's evident as he watches students leave the building each afternoon -- immediately pulling out their phones and checking messages or texting.
discount UGG boots
Like many educators, Renda has accepted the fact that kids have phones, and that they bring them to school. In fact, that's often the reason parents buy them -- so kids can communicate with them about after-school activities.
"We understand students have cell phones," he said. "But we don't want to see them...they can be a huge disruption."
UGG boots
If a student is caught using a cell at his school, the phone is confiscated. On the first occurrence, the student can pick up the phone at the end of the day. If it happens again, Mom or Dad has to pick it up.
That's never happened to 11-year-old Carina D'Orazio of Brookfield, who got her beloved lilac Blackberry Curve earlier this year -- March 9th, she recalled quite precisely.
genuine ugg boots
"Some of my friends have them, and I knew I would feel safer with one, in case of an emergency," she said.
"We decided to get her a phone because she had started middle school, and was becoming more independent," said her father, Carlo. "She'll call if the school bus is early, or if she wants to stay after school for an activity."
ugg boots sale
Another benefit, he said, is that he's able to unobtrusively check in with his daughter when she's with friends.
UGG boots WOMEN
"I just send a quick text, and I can check on her without making anyone feel uncomfortable," he said.
Plus, it's a very effective discipline tool, he pointed out. Once kids have one, they don't want to do anything to jeopardize it.
cardy ugg boots
Carina is only allowed to call or text pre-approved people, and her dad regularly checks her activity.
But even if kids aren't making inappropriate calls, they may be receiving them.
"Cyberbullying is essentially rampant at this point," said Kelly Mullins, prevention educator for the Women's Center of Greater Danbury.
"Children are finding they can use their phone or computer anonymously," she explained. "There's no social interaction -- no immediate response when they've written something nasty, and therefore they don't have to deal with the emotional reaction."
Also, some sexual predators are now using cell phones as tools. They randomly send texts to hundreds, even thousands, of numbers. If a child responds, the predator knows he's reached a live number.
knitted ugg boots
"From there, he tries to entice and manipulate the child," Mullins said. "He picks out tiny bits of information he can use to create a relationship. The child either thinks he's talking to a boy or girl his own age, or an older adult who's offering support to the child."
UGG boots MEN
Kids must be taught exactly what to do if they think or feel something is not right.
UGG boots KIDS
"If they receive a text from a number or name they don't recognize, they should immediately delete it, block that number, and tell an adult," Mullins suggested. "That's the same advice we give to kids who are being cyberbullied."
Certainly not all inappropriate contact comes from unknown sources. Sexting (sending nude pictures via text) and bullying often involve kids they know.
ugg women Boots
"Does it happen? Yes," Renda said. "Is it prevalent that we know about? No."
Mullins advocates using all possible blocks on a child's phone, and prohibiting kids from taking their phones (or laptops) into their bedrooms. One way to enforce that is to mandate all phones and laptops be placed in a basket at a specified time each night. That basket is then carried to a parent's room for safekeeping until morning.
UGG boots women Casuals
Some people draft contracts for their kids to sign, or parent and child can create one together. If a child helps draft the rules, he may be more inclined to follow them (see sidebar.)
UGG boots women Sandals
But possibly the best way to maintain control is to stay one step ahead of them.
"You have to be savvy about how things work," Renda said. "Some parents still have their kids put all their contacts into their phones."
UGG boots women SlippersHe continued, "Or some parents say, `I look at all my child's texts.' But kids aren't stupid, they can delete anything they don't want you to read."
That's why software such as what's offered by WebSafetyPC (www.websafety.com) is gaining popularity. They offer programs that can check online communications and texts for evidence of sexting, pedophilia, cyberbullying, suicide and gun phrases, all based upon a 4,000-word database of words that could signal trouble.
ugg men Boots
Parents are immediately notified via text or e-mail of any questionable activity.
It also blocks all pornography, provides GPS tracking, and can even block texting in predetermined locations, such as school or while driving.
Sometimes, though, there's no substitute for open discourse.
UGG boots men Casuals
"We need to sit down and have conversations with our sons and daughters, and say, `If you're going to get a cell phone, then these are the rules,'" Renda said. "Kids know right from wrong."
Sometimes parents just need to remind them.
UGG boots men Slippers
Who needs to talk anymore?!
Texting may rapidly be replacing actually talking on the phone.
According to a study recently released by the Nielsen Company, Americans are sending or receiving an average of 3,339 texts per month. That's more than six per hour they're awake!
UGG boots Big Kids
Nielsen had culled data from the monthly cell phone bills of more than 60,000 mobile subscribers from April through June of this year, and combined it with results from a survey of more than 3,000 teens.
kids ugg boots
They found that no one texts more than teens, especially teen females, who send and receive an average of 4,050 texts per month. Teen males also outpace other male age groups, sending and receiving an average of 2,539 texts.
UGG boots Little Kids
shop for ugg boots in www.uggmy.com
shop for louis vuitton in www.louisvuittonmy.com
shop for christian louboutin in www.christianlouboutin.la
shop for herve leger dress in www.dressmysale.com
shop for wedding dresses in www.dressmysale.com
mailbox contact!: louboutin2010@hotmail.com
wecome to my website shopping! Thank you
没有评论:
发表评论