iPhone for 7 yr old?

[Leanna Lofte]

I think those last two are both very excellent ideas.

I wasn't spoiled as a kid, but I did get quite a few things I wanted that made people think I was spoiled like a car for my 16th birthday and a cell phone at 15. But I had to prove I deserved these privileges by getting good grades, being a respectful kid, staying out of trouble, etc. And if I ever got anything like a ticket or went over my minutes, I had to pay for it.

 

[msimplicity]

my wife has destroyed 2 iphone with a simple drop. If you get one, make sure it has a rugged case, eventhough the drops wouldnt be as rough since you're daughter is shorter. Also, I'd plan on having to replace it at some point. Even if a drop doesnt destroy the outside, it can mess up the internals pretty good. If those don't bother you, then I say go for it! Always good to get the kids started early on new technology!

 

[whmurray]

It's your child, so you know. I for one if I feel my son at 6 is ready, I'll get it for him. My reason is to be able to converse with him and not have to go through his mother. Always remember, would it matter if something happened to the device?

No, not really. After all, it is a toy. A pretty tough toy at that. (Not tough enough for the washer.)

Consider an iPod Touch with Skype. It is not so much the cost of the device as the AT&T that they do not use.

Also be sure to put Stanza on it. You could not buy a fraction of those books for the price of a Touch. Babies who never touch a book love reading on the Touch. They love audio books and movies in the car. You do not even have to buy new ones; they prefer the familiar.

People who make long car trips with children think nothing of paying the price of a Touch for a DVD player, but we share the audio book. We never tire of The Golden Compass or Tom Sawyer. I ripped my deluxe set of Lord of the Rings and then gave it to the local library; we are looking forward to listening to it this summer. Long audio books make short trips and contented children.

 

[Entertainment72]

No way in God's Green Earth should a 12 year old have a phone let alone a 6.

 

[whmurray]

Actually, lots of people need advice on raising children..........

Indeed they do. I even know one who appreciates it.

 

[whmurray]

No way in God's Green Earth should a 12 year old have a phone let alone a 6.

Dad? Dad? Is that you, Dad?

 

[Tramain]

she does not need one

 

[whmurray]

she does not need one

Of course, she doesn't. Fortunately, her needs are met. She has food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and schooling. She even has transportation. We do not even discuss necessities here.

This is a place that we talk about toys. I do not need an iPhone. I do not kid myself that I need one but I can hardly wait for the opportunity to buy another one.

When I was four, my Dad bought us an electric train. This was right before WW II when toys competed with guns and bombs. By the time I was seven, it was the biggest train set in the neighborhood. We added to it all during the war, buying from other hobbyists. In this truly disposable world, it is hard to believe the tiny scale of the repairs we made. The hours that we spent together with those trains were among the most joyful of my childhood. I am sure those trains, and the ability to share them, gave my father joy. Toys and the joy that they give us are what we talk about here. Please do not rain on our parade.

When the 3G was available, I gave my iPhone to an 11 year old. He does not need it but it gives us both joy. Computers are the most fun toy since electric trains. They are much cheaper than trains were when I was tiny.

His screen is cracked. It will give us both joy when we get it fixed. He has a share of GOOG. He got it for Christmas. He does not need it. It is a toy. It gives us joy. When he was seven he said to me, "I am so glad you are here. You can help me upgrade to AOL 9.0." He did not need help. It was about the sharing. It gave us joy. I thought about those trains.

When my now 31 year old godson was 9, he wanted a remote control car, not a toy car, but a hobbyist car. Much more expensive than an iPhone. I kept hearing that guilty voice in my ear that said, "He does not need it. He is too young. He may break it. You are spoiling him." I did not buy it. His stepfather bought it for him. Low these decades later, even with all the toys we did share, I still envy them the joy of those cars. I thought of those trains.

This toy will not come at the expense of anything she needs. I envy her and I envy her mother and I wish them joy. I gave my 8 year old niece a Touch. She does not need it. She is now in Brazil so we "chat" about it and on it. I think of those trains.

We do not give our kids toys because they need them but because we can.

Indulge yourself. Buy a child an outrageous toy. The child will survive. And when she is grown, she may have a memory like my memory of those trains.

I wish you joy.

 

[Alli]

Man...you just managed to bring tears to my eyes. That was absolutely beautiful.

Thank you for that slice of perspective.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

Beautifully said!

My 3 year old godson has an iPod touch. He sits on my lap and plays with the iPod, or my iPhone. He can navigate it like a pro, play his games, take photos of his toys, record his songs. He rarely sits on my lap anymore and hugs are increasingly rare.

So, yeah. He doesn't need an iPod touch either. But the cost and excess of his having one is priceless to the both of us (at least I know it is to me, and hope very much it remains to him for at least a little while longer).

Tangentially, while maybe a toy of sorts, it's also an experience and a learning opportunity. And scarily enough -- it's likely the *most primitive* piece of technology he'll think back to having in the many years to come.

 

[whmurray]

One iPhone per Child

When I was a child, we were fairly prosperous people. While we might not have been the most prosperous in the school or church, we were usually the most prosperous in the neighborhood.

However, paper was still expensive and books often beyond some people's needs. My father was very well read but when I was six his library was three feet of the Reader's Digest. An encyclopedia was a major purchase, often done on credit. My mother paid for ours on the "installment plan," sometimes out of "grocery money." Many families bought theirs in the grocery store, one volume at a time. Even as late as the 50's most television sets were financed.

Imagine a world in which we can give every child a computer more powerful and robust than the original PC, indeed, more powerful than the IBM 704 on which I cut my teeth in 1956, and smaller than a book-bag, lunch-box, book, or sandwich. Throw in 35,000 application programs, about half of which are free and 99% of which are priced at less than $5-. (One can buy dozens for the cost of a DVD, much less the cost of a game for a DS Lite.) Include all of the favorite family games including Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Uno, and Scrabble. Now throw in an encyclopedia and a library of all the classic literature. Now add access to all music, movies, podcasts, and much performance art. Include the ability to record text, image, and sound. Now price this at less than the cost of a television set, a bicycle, or a Wii.

Shouldn't the question be how crazy does one have to be not to do it? Shouldn't we prefer early over late? Shouldn't any alternative use of the money have to pass a very high hurdle? Shouldn't "One iPhone per Child" trump "One Laptop per Child?"

I have yet to see a three year-old who would not prefer an iPhone or Touch to any other toy in the world. Yet to see one who could not identify the icon for pictures or scroll through to their favorites.

I have two great nieces and two great nephews whose mother insists upon equity in number and value of gifts given to her children. That tends to increase the cost and lower the value of gifts. One Touch would start a war and four cost too much. They all have DS Lites but will fight over my iPhone. The youngest is a tiny and rambunctious seven but will sit quietly with the iPhone for as long as his siblings will allow.

I have convinced myself. Christmas I will bite the bullet secure in the knowledge that they will not read this and hold me accountable for the eight month delay.

 

[whmurray]

My goddaughter's toddler, Ellery, comes up to me about once an hour when I am there and says, "(I want to) See Parker." Parker is the only one of her cousins that is younger than she is. I open Parker's folder and give her the iPhone. She scrolls through the folder, pausing on her favorites. Then she says, "Now me." and hands me the phone to open her folder.

Her mother also has an iPhone and enjoys the same ritual. I am sure that in Ellery's world all computers contain pictures in general, pictures of Parker in particular, and, since she is not yet into games, that pictures are the primary application of computers.

 

[jhamilton3]

Much like Blackberries I feel iPhones should only be used by people 17 & up.. when they can appreciate what type of phone they have and really know how to take care of it.

 

[whmurray]

Much like Blackberries I feel iPhones should only be used by people 17 & up.. when they can appreciate what type of phone they have and really know how to take care of it.

You are putting us on, right? You are some kind of a troll, right? Would you have had Mozart wait for his piano until he was 17 so he would appreciate it? Would he really have been able to appreciate the difference between a good one and a bad one? Have you seen the Fuji Film ad on TV? Have you been to the local Apple Store? Life is short. Get over it.

We are talking about toys here, as distinguished from necessities. We are talking about children, not young adults. We learn appreciation through experience, not privation. From privation in a world of plenty we learn envy. That is why we give children iPods, take them to ball games, museums, concerts, and Broadway shows. Have you noticed that the most successful shows on Broadway are "kid friendly?"

Have you noticed that we are the first civilization in the history of the world to give all our children 12 years of schooling and our elite kids 20 and even 24. Have you noticed that small boys are only small for a few years? Enjoy! Hurry! It will be too late too soon. Do you know Fiddler on the Roof? Sunrise, Sunset?

A deprived 17 year old may never get over it. He will be dependent for his whole life.

For a seven year old, you are talking about nine years. You do not really think we are going to be using blackberries and iPhones in nine years do you? In nine years I expect to drink my nano-network in my orange juice; babies will get theirs in their pablum.

Oh please, let go of my chain! You really were kidding, weren't you? I really can relax, right? Whew. You really had me going there for a minute.

 

[jellmoo]

I personally think that a 7 year old is way too young for a cell phone, let alone an iPhone. The device requires a level of maturity and responsibility that a child of that age just doesn't have. Then again, I find most teenagers fall into a similar category.

But, hey, it's your kid and your money. If you can handle the potential loss or damage to the iPhone financially, and are willing to take the time to educate the child on how to act responsibly with the device, more power to you.

 

[iLoveiPhones]

Much like Blackberries I feel iPhones should only be used by people 17 & up.. when they can appreciate what type of phone they have and really know how to take care of it.

I agree completely!

 

[Nellybelly333]

Would you have had Mozart wait for his piano until he was 17 so he would appreciate it? QUOTE]

You really compared Mozart to a spoiled 7 year old? Impressive.

 

[ktdw]

You really compared Mozart to a spoiled 7 year old? Impressive.

Maybe Mozart was a spoiled child?

While I appreciate the arguments for and against a child having an iphone, I find it amusing that these arguments were likely used for every advancement our civilazation has experienced. New technology should only be available to those who can appreciate it; children were not worthy.

When I was 7 (ironically), the first PCs were available, and the common thought from my parents (and friends' parents) was that it was not necessary for us to have this. This is not the case today. I'm guessing that the same thinking was originally applied for televisions, cars, etc. IMO, what's amazing is that usually it's the following generations that change the common perception of new technology...and whmurray, who seems to have more life experience than most of us , is way ahead of his time!

Also, FWIW, in order for a child to be spoiled, they also must be ungrateful. So, in order to not have a spoiled child, you can either not give them everything, or you can teach them to be grateful for what they get. Note: being spoiled has nothing to do with the value of objects wanted/given.

In the wisdom of yoda, "an iphone does not a spoiled child make".

 

[whmurray]

Would you have had Mozart wait for his piano until he was 17 so he would appreciate it?

You really compared Mozart to a spoiled 7 year old? Impressive.

At five, Wolfgang wrote a concerto while Leopold was at mass. When Leopold looked at it, with tears of amazement and joy, he declared that it was wonderful but unplayable. Wofgang responded, "That is why it is a concerto, you must practice until you master it."

Practice is the price of mastery but one should be given the instrument to practice on. Incidentally, except for the fact that he loved to practice the piano, Mozart was otherwise a very "spoiled 7 year old."

According to the original post, "She actually uses my iPhone WAY more than her nintendo. Mostly, she plays games, but also she listens to music and watches youtube vidoes (with supervision). She will also text grandma and her cousin sometimes." That sounds like practice to me.

One iPhone (or Touch) per child.

 

[whmurray]

Maybe Mozart was a spoiled child?

While I appreciate the arguments for and against a child having an iphone, I find it amusing that these arguments were likely used for every advancement our civilazation has experienced. New technology should only be available to those who can appreciate it; children were not worthy.

When I was 7 (ironically), the first PCs were available, and the common thought from my parents (and friends' parents) was that it was not necessary for us to have this. This is not the case today. I'm guessing that the same thinking was originally applied for televisions, cars, etc. IMO, what's amazing is that usually it's the following generations that change the common perception of new technology...and whmurray, who seems to have more life experience than most of us , is way ahead of his time!

Also, FWIW, in order for a child to be spoiled, they also must be ungrateful. So, in order to not have a spoiled child, you can either not give them everything, or you can teach them to be grateful for what they get. Note: being spoiled has nothing to do with the value of objects wanted/given.

In the wisdom of yoda, "an iphone does not a spoiled child make".

lol. No, it doesn't, does it?

[My definition of a "spoiled child" is one that cannot defer gratification, one that whines for what she wants. Does not sound like yours.]