It's hard to believe that kids are getting a hand phone at a younger and younger age. My late cousin's daughter, who is eleven this year, just bought her new hand phone. She wanted it as soon as she saw her neighbour having one and so her dad gave her money and she bought one that cost RM4xx.
I told my mother that for a child of eleven she doesn't even need a new hand phone. Moreover, she will not understand the difference in calling out from a mobile line or from a fixed phone line.
And since her father lives in Johor, heh... I am sure she will be calling him from her mobile phone as well and her grandmother, whom she is living with will faint, man!
Many years ago, my uncle made a public statement that each child should ideally have a hand phone but he received some flak for that statement because let's face it, how any parents could afford that especially if they have a few children? Now, we are seeing that become a reality.
Many of my friends whose children have hand phones are only using hand-me-downs or bought second hand. They are also restricted to a prepaid reload of RM30 per month. If the child wants to use more than that, by all means do so but anything more than RM30 would be from his own savings.
Doing so does not mean that the parents are not able to afford a phone like for the kids but rather to teach the kids about managing their personal finances and budgeting.
In Wei Wei's case I don't think she will be able to learn about budgeting at this rate.
I told my mother that for a child of eleven she doesn't even need a new hand phone. Moreover, she will not understand the difference in calling out from a mobile line or from a fixed phone line.
And since her father lives in Johor, heh... I am sure she will be calling him from her mobile phone as well and her grandmother, whom she is living with will faint, man!
Many years ago, my uncle made a public statement that each child should ideally have a hand phone but he received some flak for that statement because let's face it, how any parents could afford that especially if they have a few children? Now, we are seeing that become a reality.
Many of my friends whose children have hand phones are only using hand-me-downs or bought second hand. They are also restricted to a prepaid reload of RM30 per month. If the child wants to use more than that, by all means do so but anything more than RM30 would be from his own savings.
Doing so does not mean that the parents are not able to afford a phone like for the kids but rather to teach the kids about managing their personal finances and budgeting.
In Wei Wei's case I don't think she will be able to learn about budgeting at this rate.
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