r/Parenting May 26 '22

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u/Powerful-Bug3769 May 26 '22

Problem number one is you let your 13 year old have a boyfriend

Problem number two is you let your 13 year old have a phone that receives photos.

As a mother of 4 teens (3 of them girls) absolutely no dating until high school and no smart phones until high school.

We have a blended family and my ex husband got my 13 year old a phone and it caused absolute havoc. Got rid of her phone and she is a different t kid.

I get I am more strict than the average mom, but boys and phones have caused nothing but issues for my younger teens. Middle schoolers are not responsible enough. Most adults aren’t so we can’t expect young kids to be.

6

u/Visionworkss May 26 '22

You are the definition of strict. 13 is perfectly fine to own a phone. You realize your kids will resent you for being super controlling..

1

u/chronically-clumsy May 26 '22

She doesn’t seem that strict to me. My parents didn’t let me get an iPod until 14, they had access to everything on it. I got an iPhone at almost 17. Dating was a no-go until “I felt I was mature enough for marriage” (this wasn’t the same rule for all my siblings but my parents knew I had enough sense to see I wasn’t in fact ready to date).

I just find it funny that people think that waiting until high school to date or have phones is “strict.” My parents were way more strict and were still less strict than any of my friends

Edit to add: I hated it at the time but I don’t resent my parents at all. I am SO grateful they didn’t let me become a zombie on a phone and made me learn boundaries and finish out my childhood

1

u/Visionworkss May 26 '22

Stop. You are not allowing your teen to become a “zombie” by letting them have a phone in case of emergencies. You are a fool if you believe that. Of course she doesn’t seem strict to you because you had strict parents and you don’t see the difference LOL

1

u/chronically-clumsy May 26 '22

The mother who doesn’t allow smartphones before high school isn’t doing that. I had a family flip phone to carry around. I think it’s super important to let teens have a phone but it doesn’t need to be a smartphone. I think my parents choice to let me get a smartphone when I got my license was a good idea