Some parents are guilted into buying their pre-teen a cell phone.  Don’t be sucked in.

Here’s the deal. Before teen years, your kid is under your watchful eye, not the cell phone’s location app.   Your attentive parenting generally ‘inspires’ a child to do right.  And if he does wrong, it’s your parenting consequences, which leads to better choices.  This approach is time-tested, but only if you plan to pay attention to your kid.

OH, safety…  yes.  Parents will tell you it’s a safety thing.  Nothing replaces responsible parenting.

As it applies to school, cell phones are a terrible distraction. After all, even I would be more interested in checking my phone rather than listening to the teacher.

So if you still insist on buying a cellphone for Jr., remember.  You still need to parent.  Technology never takes the place of your role in your child’s life. In the classroom, a cellphone will hinder learning.

From my classroom experience, I’ve found, the kids without a cell phone are no less safe than those who have them.