jad4christ

LOL that is funny tho!! She is 11 and seems to just think she needs one. I am going to get her a trac phone. I will buy her 100 min a month and once their gone their gone. She is also trying to convince me to let her take her Ipod to school. I'm praying for patience since ppl keep assuring me it will only get worse from here.

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by Prayer and Petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

All that I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen-Emerson

Shannon

We let Emily take her MP3 player to school last year and she did OK with it. We have told her that if she loses it, tough luck!

That's funny because we are thinking about getting her a MegaTalk phone (same concept as a Tracfone except it's unlimited minutes for a monthly fee - no contract though). We were going to get her a phone under our plan but started looking at how much she is actually on the phone at home and decided she would most likely run us WELL over our minutes!

__________________
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength! Philippians 4:13

There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand: an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship finding its way over the sea and a man and woman falling in love. Proverbs 30:18-19

jad4christ

I work with a lady whos daughter racked up a 1,700 doller phone bill with text messages. She'd be with Jesus if she was my kid!!

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by Prayer and Petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

All that I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen-Emerson

sky

Your school is longer than ours. Ours begin 7:45 and end 14:00. So i guess it makes up for our shorter holidays!

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Rom 1:20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Jesus said: "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Shannon

$1700!!! WOW!!!

Wow Sky - my kids would like that! I sometimes wish our school started later in the day and ran later. Like from 9-4 or 10-5 even.

__________________
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength! Philippians 4:13

There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand: an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship finding its way over the sea and a man and woman falling in love. Proverbs 30:18-19

Mark

As the principal of a school I can tell you that MP3 players and cell phones are headaches! We do allow them to be "present" but not to be used during school. If a cell phone goes off during school the parent has to pick up the phone from my office. If the MP3 player showes up the same thing happens. Parents can pick it up in the office.

Each of my 4 children have gotten a cell phone when they get their drivers license. They do have MP3 players and may bring them to school, but only for bus rides and for their "wait" after sports until we come to get them.

In my experience, the 11 or 12 year old "needs" have been around forever. Remember the "needs" of kids 15 or 20 years ago insisting they should have to wear $125 sneakers? Before that kids "needed" their own phone line or sterio systems, etc.

I would be careful with feeling you have to give in. Remember, sooner or later you will have to make choices and say "no!" If not your child will grow up with an "entitlement" attitude that will be very hard to deal with later on.

Sky, typically here in America we have 180 school days. How many do you have?

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Mark Strohm, Jr.
Thrifty Times

Shannon

We are dealing with that whole sense of entitlement thing RIGHT now and it's not fun at ALL!

MP3 player is for the bus. At our school, cell phones are supposed to be turned into the office in the morning and picked up after school but I don't think it happens like it should. I can see where you are coming from!

__________________
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength! Philippians 4:13

There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand: an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship finding its way over the sea and a man and woman falling in love. Proverbs 30:18-19

sky

Shan, is your sport and other activities included in the hours? Must be , hey? But ours is after school.

Mark, we have 197 school days.

__________________
Rom 1:20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Jesus said: "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

CSchultz

We home school.
I'll start the new year next week. (Monday)

We run 4 weeks of school, then 2 weeks off.
In the end they have the same amount of hours as the government school system, we just see less "burn out" this way.

Also, they can begin anytime they want each day, and they are finished, when they are finished.

Most mornings, we get started around 8:30 AM and finish around 2:00. Then they have all day to do whatever.

If one goofs around till dinner time, Oh Well. Guess you missed your chance to play outside.

Shannon

Sports and extra-curricular activities are outside of that. Practices usually start around 3:40 and end around 5:45. The only things included during the day are group band and choir. Jazz band, pep band, pit band, etc are considered extra-curricular.

So if a kiddo is out for sports, they do 7 hours of classroom, then 2 hours of practice! Emily also has volleyball, piano and guitar lessons and this fall will start confirmation classes. Hunter will start flag football this fall. Our school district reserves Wednesday night as "Church Night". Practices must be over by 5:30 and there can be NO homework given. That way kids can go to religion classes/meetings and not have to worry about homework.

It makes for VERY busy kids. And our kids are some of the least scheduled! Emily has friends that are busy every single day of the week! Em will have practices Mon-Fri, confirmation Wed and music lessons Tuesdays. Ugh!

__________________
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength! Philippians 4:13

There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand: an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship finding its way over the sea and a man and woman falling in love. Proverbs 30:18-19