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The top-up tale
The top-up tale
Blogs » Mummy Blogger

The top-up tale…

There are many quandaries that the modern parent faces. Things that our parents never even had to think about. Back in the day if we were away from home all we needed was 2p in our pocket and the ability to use a phone box. Wow, 2p! Those really were the days weren’t they?

Fast-forward the odd decade and it’s a whole other story. Phone boxes are in decline, child safety is more worried about than ever before – this despite statistical evidence that states that children are no more likely to be abducted today than at any other point in the last 50 years – and, thanks to the drip feed of US TV, all of our children seem to expect a mobile phone long before they realistically have a need for one.

My son is nine. Two years ago we went to the Glastonbury Festival and obviously one of the things that we worried about most was the safety of our three children. What would happen if they got lost and couldn’t find our tent? God knows it happened to me often enough!

We made a decision to buy a mobile phone for the then 7yo. We purchased the cheapest PAYG from a well-known supermarket chain and he was delighted with it. Of course on the very first day as he raced between guy ropes it fell out of his pocket and, had I not been right behind him, it would have been lost forevermore.

The phone was put away after that and he wasn’t fussed. Not until recently anyway when he started talking about smart phones and begging for one of his own. It was never going to happen, but then my contract for my fruit-based phone came up for renewal and they sent me a shiny new upgrade leaving me with a spare phone and a child who desperately wanted one.

I caved – after lengthy discussions we gave him the phone on a pay as you go basis. To be paid for with his pocket money. On a monthly basis this will cost him £10.50 of his hard-earned cash. Sadly only one week into the month he’s down to £1 – I know! How can a 9yo use up that much credit in a week? It’s a hard lesson for him to learn – he’s now got to wait 3 weeks for a top-up…

Friday, 10th June 2011

Tags:   Parenting  /  Cash  /  Cash-is-cool  /  iPhone  /  Top-ups  /  Pocket money
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