Posted on 06/12/2009 3:04:45 PM PDT by lewisglad
This isn't exactly proud papa news: My daughter, Reina, who recently turned 13, just racked up 14,528 text messages in one month.
Thank God she's too young to drive.
Given that she's had a cell phone for less than six months, and she is supposed to share the phone with her 14-year-old brother (and use it mainly for emergencies) — well, I'm speechless.
Or should I say, textless?
Her mother, Manako, recently got the phone bill from AT&T. Only 23 pages of the bill came with the bill mailed to her home in Lake Forest.
Manako went online and looked at the PDF version of the bill. The PDF file, covering the period from Nov. 27 to Dec. 26, totaled 440 pages.
OK, the bill included charges for two other phones, including one belonging to Reina's 22-year-old sister, Hana, who accounted for a comparatively modest 7,101 text messages during the same period. Older sister Marina, 24, accounted for a measly (whew!) 700.
But still…A 440-page phone bill? Thankfully, Manako signed up all of them for unlimited texting.
If not, the 20 cents per text for Reina would have totaled $2,905.60.
That's a lot of house chores.
•••
I'm no math whiz, but I did some quick calculations on Reina's thumb-numbing total.
Assuming my daughter slept an average of eight hours during the billing period (she usually sleeps more), that works out to 484 text messages a day — or a text message every two minutes she was awake.
Could AT&T have made some mistake?
Wishful thinking. It's all true, based on the PDF file I reviewed.
I definitely am not LMAO (laughing my, er, butt off).
One small consolation: The 14,528 total includes text messages both sent and received.
Really, though. Is that any consolation?
.
(Excerpt) Read more at ocregister.com ...
You said — “Yes”....
—
I like to nit-pick stupid and idiotic things. It’s so much fun... LOL...
You said — Did you read the whole post? I was making the analogy that a free service would be abused because it is free, and that would include healthcare, if it gets passed the way Obama wants it.
—
Yeah, I read the whole post and it had nothing to do with anything “excessive” in regards to text messaging — which was the “comparison” you were making — since this thread is about excessive text messaging.
Now, if this comment had been on another thread about healthcare and what would happen there, then my comments would have been about that... :-)
Well, you answered my question anyway, Carry on.
Are you really asking what you should do? If so the answer is quit paying for the phone. Let her do without until she gets a job and buys her own. Simple and effective and if you are paying for your grown daughters bills you are really not to bright.
They have another feature on cell phones which does the same thing, it is called voice mail. That way you get the satisfaction of actually talking to someone and they don't have to answer you except when they want. Works for land lines too. I do my texting via emails on my computer when I don't have the number of the person I want to call or if they distance is so far I don't want to pay long distance for every message. Otherwise texting seems like a cold, impersonal way to communicate.
> It doesn’t take a super-genius to get those free e-mail
> accounts
You can’t get a free mail account if the web site that offers it is not in the white list. Remember, only web sites that I have visited and approved ahead of time are whitelisted. None of them offer free email. And you can’t just jump off from one site to one that’s not in the whitelist. The proxy won’t let you do that.
> And if they are suspecting any further monitoring, all it
> takes is using another computer somewhere else and
> checking e-mail.
...
> I mean, libraries all have computers for the public,
> including the kids. Schools have them, too
Our children are homeschooled, and we supervise their visits to the library. They are only allowed to check out books, not sit and play with the library computers.
The only computers to which they have any access are the ones at home.
Our nearest neighbor is half-a-mile away.
When we visit friends, the children are not allowed to go to their rooms to be away from the parents. Most of our time visiting with friends is engaged in sports activities or hymn sings and bible studies. Once in a while, we might watch a DVD together.
As much as possible, all activity is supervised.
> I would simply pop my iPhone out and get right on the
> web, and there would be nothing that anyone at work or
> the IT Department could do about it.
True enough. But my children do not have their own cell phones. If I ever buy one, for any of them, it will be as primitive and limited as possible. Calls only. The monthly bill from the cell phone company will show every phone number connected. They had better be numbers I know, or numbers of legitimate businesses. Else, I cancel the account.
Furthermore, just think of how pleased your boss would be if s/he walked in your office to talk about something and saw you suddenly stash your cell phone with that red tinge on your ears. Guess how things will go for you when you get your next review or the next round of cuts needs to be made.
> I mean there are so many WiFi access points open at
> various houses in neighborhoods, it’s amazing.
True enough. But your network card’s unique MAC address gets logged by the ISP everytime you connect to the internet, no matter how you connect. If investigative authorities want to find you, they will. There are ways to mitigate this, which I won’t mention, but, ultimately, they will find you.
As for our children, none of them has that kind of mobility. Only one of them that is still living at home is even old enough to drive.
All the computers in our house are in plain sight, including mine. Nobody gets to hide anything from anybody when they are online.
The web proxy and email routing are more for the protection of our children than anything else. We’d like them to marry pure, if at all possible.
Life is difficult enough without adding a lot of unnecessary baggage for the momentary cheap thrills of sexual titillation or by getting romantically involved with people we don’t know behind our backs.
Of our 11 children, two are married and nine are still living at home.
I have told all my daughters, that if any man shows an interest in them, his first date will be with me. If I determine that the young man is not interested in marriage, then he won’t be allowed to see my daughter. If he is interested in marriage, I will be contacting his parents.
I tell my sons that I will want to become acquainted with the parents of any prospective bride.
It is important for prospective in-laws to get to know eachother and to commit to working together with the children to assure the smoothest possible transition for them to their new life together as a new, independent family.
A good riend of mine said to his wife that she could make all the criticisms she wants about the prospective mate before the marriage, but after the marriage, she must keep her silence.
There is wisdom in that, and I would add, that as in-laws, we must help our married children over the rough spots, as much as possible when they ask for help.
I have two married children, so I’ve already been there and done that. Still doing it.
And being a grandfather is GREAT!
:)
I would have to say that text messaging is *more immediate* and also, at the same time, *less intrusive*....
One might not be able to get voice mail messages in a meeting, but one can get text messaging in a meeting without a single person being aware of it. All it takes is a glance and (with the iPhone) a simple “finger-touch” to the screen (and nothing more) to dismiss it off the screen. It’s easy, not intrusive, and gives the person a “heads-up” if necessary, even if in a meeting.
I’ll have the iPhone out and laying down, with the ringer off and a text message will pop-up and I know immediately “what is going on” without even so much as the person next to me knowing what is going on...
I hate voice mail. It wastes my time to call, wait for the connection and navigate through the menu, not to mention listening to the long-winded message. Better to send me a text. I still receive voice mail messages that say nothing more than, "I called you and you didn't answer." Um, I guess that explains the "missed call" display on my phone with your name. Why do people still do this?
You said — You can’t get a free mail account if the web site that offers it is not in the white list. Remember, only web sites that I have visited and approved ahead of time are whitelisted. None of them offer free email. And you can’t just jump off from one site to one that’s not in the whitelist. The proxy won’t let you do that.
—
You’re missing a big fact here, in that people can get these accounts set up elsewhere and check them elsewhere. Of course, I do notice that you’re talking about “little kids” as in grade school, and they don’t go anywhere without adults with them. But, I’m talking about teenagers who do go elsewhere and with friends, without adults around. That’s the crowd that I’m talking about.
Little kids in grade school are not able to go anywhere or do anything without adult supervision, which is as it should be with those in grade school...
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You said — As much as possible, all activity is supervised.
—
This does work with grade-school kids, and like I said — as it should. But, it’s when they get to be teenagers that I’m talking about and it’s at that point where they — themselves — start driving and/or going with friends who drive and/or go places with those friends.
It’s at the point where they get to doing things themselves, but still are teenagers, that you’ll see this happening.
That is..., unless you still escort your teenagers as you do grade-school kids. But, if you do that, I’ll guarantee you, you’ll have kids who will be trying to do *more* of these things than otherwise... :-)
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And then you said — Furthermore, just think of how pleased your boss would be if s/he walked in your office to talk about something and saw you suddenly stash your cell phone with that red tinge on your ears. Guess how things will go for you when you get your next review or the next round of cuts needs to be made.
—
It’s no big deal for people at work to answer a phone that they have. It’s not that you would be on the phone or doing something on it. That’s not a problem. Heck, I can look up phone numbers that I have to call on the iPhone. If I have to go out and drive somewhere and I need to get some “routing” for driving there, I would use the iPhone. And I could be doing some research on the iPhone for some company information or whatever on the iPhone.
So, for one thing, to use the iPhone in the first place is not a big problem. There are way too many things you can do “legitimately” with it and you can say so, with no problem.
What you’re talking about is if every single time that the boss came to talk with you about something, you were *always* on the iPhone — then you would have a problem. But, not for a few times, especially if you can get mapping information, scheduling information (which I do have on the iPhone, too) and *even* companies have their own e-mail systems accessible on the iPhone, too (even if you weren’t accessing the e-mail at that particular time).
Like I said — it’s just *way to easy* to do whatever you want. That’s really not a big problem....
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
And then you said — True enough. But your network card’s unique MAC address gets logged by the ISP everytime you connect to the internet, no matter how you connect. If investigative authorities want to find you, they will. There are ways to mitigate this, which I won’t mention, but, ultimately, they will find you.
Well, there are a few factors here. For one thing, no one is going to be that interested in you and spend all those resources hunting you down, unless you’re a big threat to the government — like a terrorist planning some big operation. Now, that would put plenty of resources on you, to find you.
But, that’s why I said it depended on how “paranoid” you are. If you’re doing that, then you better be as paranoid as possible and then there are ways to deal with that.
What I was talking about is the person that no one is going to be caring about, “very much” — even with some minor illegal activity, if you were so inclined. But, keep in mind, that many here are considered to be *threats* to this administration — so it might be time to get ready to be “stealthy” in this kind of environment — and I have no problem with being as stealthy as I want to be. If I have to keep this particular administration off my back for one reason or another — then I will do so. A post like this is *nothing* actually — so I don’t care... LOL...
So, if you really want to do it — you can... and that’s the point. There’s no use going into it all here, but if someone wants to, they can...., no big deal...
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And lastly, and in general, I don’t have any problems with monitoring kids and making sure they are safe. That’s fine. I’m pointing out that if they really want to do something out of being monitored, they can and you won’t be able to do anything about it. And, of course, I’m talking about older kids, as in teenagers.
And you’ll find that the more monitored that they are and the more that one clamps down on them — the more they will devise ways to get out of it. That’s the way it works.
BUT, I would concentrate more in the *training* aspect, in relation to these kids. I would say that how they are raised and *trained* and how they “think” is more critical than any monitoring ever is. That’s because *they* themselves will “self-monitor” and be in control of themselves in such a way that outside monitoring could never do. That’s the key here, I think.
And I say that for the time when these same kids get out and away from home, which they will at some time in the future, if under no other circumstances than in college and/or beyond that even — as I said *at some point*.
You don’t want them to be like I’ve heard certain college boys or others say — that girls are so easy who have been monitored and controlled at home in a sheltered and protected environment — when they get away from home. They have found out that they become “easy” and they “go crazy” when away from that, a lot more so than others who have not been controlled or monitored as much in their earlier years (because those others have developed their “own controls” over themselves from experience) and they aren’t so much of an “easy hit” from these guys.
So, it goes back to “self-control” and “self-monitoring” being the much preferable thing, and not finding out that when they *do get out and around* — they end up “going crazy” for a while and getting into messes at that stage of their lives...
You said — Gads! I was ready to choke her!
—
LOL..., I get after people (who are friends of mine) for sending me these “send to 20 people” — messages... (and some do that on e-mail, too...).
I point out that they are really falling for a sort of scam (even though it may not cost them anything) in that they are persuaded into flooding the e-mail system (along with hundreds and thousands of others doing the same thing) for no good reason other than someone’s joke (usually it’s just a joke or a way to spam someone, by using hundreds of other people to do that...).
So, yeah, I know what you mean... :-)
Exactly, and some people still don’t “get it”... :-)
It is of paramount importance that the parent always remembers - you get what you settle for.
You and I agree on a few important points.
First, it does come down to training and critical thinking.
If you don’t have your children’s hearts, then you’re right. They will find ways to get around your parental protections when they are old enough to be mobile on their own.
The thing we work the hardest on is winning their hearts.
In the meantime, we try to minimize as much as possible anything that can lead their hearts astray.
We tell them often, that if they cannot control themselves, somebody else will have to control them. If they cannot discipliine themselves, somebody else will have to discipline them. If they cannot limit themselves, somebody else will have to limit them.
Right now, that “somebody else” is their loving parents.
If they don’t get a grip on self-control and self-discipline by the time they leave the nest, then it will be the boss, the police, the courts, and generally, the school of hard knocks.
I’ve told them also, that the saddest thing about people who do not learn self-control and self-discipline, is that, when their lack thereof gets them into trouble, they are always blaming somebody else for their hardship. The boss is always a jerk. The cops are always just picking on them. The judge is always somebody who doesn’t know “what it’s like”.
You said — First, it does come down to training and critical thinking.
—
Bingo! That’s the absolute key right there, at least in my way of thinking. It has to result in what you might refer to as “self-monitoring” in such a way that no amount of external monitoring could ever do — at least not in the long run.
At some point, they will deal with it all themselves, and thus, the training and thinking is absolutely critical here...
I would worry about kids that were subject to extensive monitoring without the corresponding training, because that would be a disaster for them, and that could actually “train them” the wrong way, actually.
So yes, I would agree...
You're certainly come to the right place....
:^)
First it was a typo.
Well I suppose there is no reason to take her phone away since the mature father does not have or see any problem paying the bill.
My question to you is are you related to this family which would explain a lot.
You asked — My question to you is are you related to this family which would explain a lot.
—
Now that one had me laughing... :-)
Nope, it’s just my normal attachment to abstract ideas, as fun to pursue, which makes it a lot of fun on Free Republic...
The kid needs a job. No, not a job working for a company, but a job doing work at home and for neighbors and family. She needs something useful and rewarding to occupy her time.
The punishment for NOT doing the assigned work, or for sending unnecessary text messages during work time is the loss of that cell phone.
And if the parents discover that she’s tried to game the system by deleting forbidden messages during the day, she loses the phone permanently.
Unfortunately, judging from the pix, it appears the father is actually proud of her 14K accomplishment, rather than POed.
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