Mom's 18-Point iPhone Rules for Son

[Chemaz]

Some of those seem a little extreme and weird tbh. Talk to a stranger and also go out and leave your phone at home sometimes, those two dont really go together lol. And the whole dont take loads of pics as ur memory lasts an eternity, i doubt she can remember what she did when she was 13.

While i agree in general its a good idea to have some ground rules for it, some of those are a little OTT in my opinion, kinda sounds like a kid that only has "controlled fun". I got my first phone when i was 14, only rule was that i had ?10 top up a month, so was limited to how much i could text call etc, if i used all the credit up i would have to wait til next month unless i topped it up myself. Need to give the kid a little trust and privacy really

[Spartan Erik]

Pfft, good luck enforcing this ma'am

[Athernar]

The mother is clearly mentally ill, she should be sectioned for both her, and her sons' protection.

[HawkMan]

The mother is clearly mentally ill, she should be sectioned for both her, and her sons' protection.

yeah, she's mentally ill for giving rules to her 13 year old son and teaching him manners and common sense.

America needs more mothers like her.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

The mother is clearly mentally ill, she should be sectioned for both her, and her sons' protection.

[techbeck]

Good. With the issues kids have these days and the freedom to do whatever.... It is nice to see a parent lay down rules. Hopefully she will enforce them.

[Lord Method Man]

The mother is clearly mentally ill, she should be sectioned for both her, and her sons' protection.

I'd trust her over someone like you any day.

[redfish]

Parents are becoming more controlling because they feel they have very little influence over their kids anymore. The loudest people to complain about what the mother is doing would also be the first in line to attack people who say there are too many wrong messages out there in the culture and want laws requiring parental permission for buying things like video games.

But its simple cause and effect. The less in control parents feel, the more they'll feel the need to control their kids.

But yea, the mother is being controlling.

2. I will always know the password.

There's a reason why kids keep secret journals and diaries, because some things the kid wants to write about isn't wrong, but they don't want their parents seeing it for a variety of reasons. Some of them are universal, in the fact that you just want to keep some things private. But parents who are controlling are also very likely to be judgmental and wrong. Imagine this mother is an evangelical extremist in the South and the kid is gay, and the parents would force the kid into therapy if they found out. That's just one scenario.

3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.

Its also bad manners to interrupt a conversation in person in order to talk on the phone. One good lesson people should learn about phones that the mother is conveniently ignoring -- you can always call people back. If you're in the car, and you get a phone call, call them back. If you're enjoying a moment of privacy and you get a phone call, call them back. The mother wants to teach the kid that the phone is not his life, but the people calling him need to realize that, too. Including his mom and dad, who should expect sometimes that he's going to call them back after he's done with something, instead of being impatient and treating him like his phone is his life, which they say they don't want. The mother is just scared at the idea that if she calls, he might not answer -- that takes control away from her, and she doesn't like control being taken away from her.

9. Do not text, email, or say anything to someone that you would not say out loud with their parents in the room. Censor yourself.

See my first point.

11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.

See my second point.

16. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.

13. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.

Its not like he doesn't go to school and do puzzles and brain teasers in his homework. Relax. You don't have to program his life for him. No he doesn't need to document his life, but he might want to grow up and be a professional photographer. Things may work out without you controlling everything.

18. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.

What this is missing : "And sometimes I will mess up, too." But that would take humility, an important feature of a good parent.

1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?

But this shows she has none.

[Dinggus]

I'd tell her to shove it, theres no need to be so controlling.

Nothing controlling about it, she doesn't want her child to grow up and act like majority of the American's today.

Hell, I wish I had those rules with cell phones.

[dead.cell]

14. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it. Be bigger and more powerful than FOMO -- fear of missing out.

3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say hello, use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.

Between these two rules, I'm wondering how long it will be before his parents freak out because they can't get ahold of him, why doesn't he have his phone, etc.

[Detection]

Between these two rules, I'm wondering how long it will be before his parents freak out because they can't get ahold of him, why doesn't he have his phone, etc.

You can add this one to your list too

--

11. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.

[Richteralan]

Good. With the issues kids have these days and the freedom to do whatever.... It is nice to see a parent lay down rules. Hopefully she will enforce them.

Yes but when you put this in the context of the OP, i.e. a 13yo teenager, is completely out of line.

Lay down the rules start from a very early age. If you have to resort to these kind of privacy intrusive rules when your kids are 13yo, you are parenting it wrong.

[Ezekiel Carsella]

wow. my parents aren't that bad. i thank God for my parents now! talk to a stranger? :( leave it at home? :angry: turn it in at night? :shiftyninja: what is this? :/ special consideration for half days? that is just messed up man. BTW: she should have gotten him a Windows Phone. ;) :rofl:

[Detection]

wow. my parents aren't that bad. i thank God for my parents now! talk to a stranger? :( leave it at home? :angry: turn it in at night? :shiftyninja: what is this? :/ special consideration for half days? that is just messed up man. BTW: she should have gotten him a Windows Phone. ;) :rofl:

:laugh: Yea, he would have only had 1 rule if she'd gotten him a Windows Phone

Rule 1: Enjoy

[Nogib]

Rather than a long list of rules, this mother should have been smart enough to realize the simple unavoidable truth: a 13-year old doesn't need an iPhone!!! Way to let your lamebrain kid turn into an iSheep.

[iascoot]

And i am sure she would have turned on 'Find my iPhone' to track where he goes when he leaves the house.. that is when he is actually allowed to take the phone with him

[Ezekiel Carsella]

Rather than a long list of rules, this mother should have been smart enough to realize the simple unavoidable truth: a 13-year old doesn't need an iPhone!!! Way to let your lamebrain kid turn into an iSheep.

Amen. i mean lets look at this lets say she is on Verizon: save yourself a lot of money and get him either an 8X for $99 or the 822 for half that. or even get the LG Lucid for free. my gosh how much do you want your kid to dish out for a phone?

[Lunfai]

I hate the rule where it says don't take a zillion pictures & videos.... I mean, we don't remember everything, so pictures and videos are like timeshots of memories... If I had one when I was 13, I would love to see what I had, it's like parents taking millions of pictures of you when you was younger, it's to remember your life.

+1 give it back and politely shove it up your ass

[HawkMan]

I see the stranger danger myth is still prevalent in America, despite repeated proof that stranger danger does nothing but harm the kids.

[Richteralan]

I see the stranger danger myth is still prevalent in America, despite repeated proof that stranger danger does nothing but harm the kids.

Well you have to inject fear into the kids from very young.

Fear is quite essential in USA's culture.

[Athernar]

I'd trust her over someone like you any day.

Good to hear you're in favour of child abuse.

yeah, she's mentally ill for giving rules to her 13 year old son and teaching him manners and common sense.

America needs more mothers like her.

Why am I not surprised to see the classic HawkMan ignorance and apologetics. This woman's actions goes far beyond the bounds of rules and manners into the realm of outright domination.

This goes into the realm of absurdity, and does far more damage by stunting her sons' growth as an individual. But no, let's applaud this monster of a mother simply because bemoaning "kids today" is the "cool" and "hip" thing to do.

But I guess there has never ever been a wild generation, no sir. Baby boomers? Just a myth, they all died from not having enough rules and manners. :rolleyes:

God forbid a 13 year old enjoy his Christmas present.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Really Athernar...child abuse???

...and the rest of your comments. :rolleyes:

[Athernar]

Really Athernar...child abuse???

...and the rest of your comments. :rolleyes:

Clearly you were so incapable of handling the truth, you couldn't make a reasoned response.

Seems like you didn't have enough rules and manners as a child.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

Clearly you were so incapable of handling the truth, you couldn't make a reasoned response.

Seems like you didn't have enough rules and manners as a child.

...or could it be your comments (child abuse...lol) are so unreasonable that a reasoned response isn't needed?

[Athernar]

...or could it be your comments are so unreasonable that a reasoned response isn't needed?

I think it's more likely you just don't have any counter-argument.

But by all means, prove me wrong.