This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser, Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #YourTaxCash #CollectiveBias
The first smile, the first tooth, the first steps.
As parents, we remember those important first moments in our children’s lives.
We remember the first time they stayed all night with a friend, then wanted to come back home.
We remember the first time they tried to roller skate and had to hold our hands to stay upright.
In fact, we are their memory keepers for so many first moments they were too young to remember.
The last year has been full of new first moments for my youngest son.
He got his driver’s permit and got behind the wheel for the first time.
He also got his first real job and started taking classes outside of our homeschool at the local community college.
He’s doing so well at both his job and in his classes, but with them came a new first …
The need for his first cell phone.
He’d always been home the majority of the day, so there was no need for one. But getting a phone became a priority now that he’s away from home most days.
He’s also getting his first tax refund, so we gave him the go-ahead to buy one.
We shopped around and got sticker shock when we saw most of the price tags.
They would eat up his whole refund!
He’s saving money to get his first car, so he needed a phone that he could afford using only his tax refund.
We found the Samsung Galaxy On5.
It was very reasonably priced and had no annual contract, no overages, and no credit check.
And he had money left over after he bought it. The retail price was $119, but it was rollback priced at $69.
There were several service plans he could choose from, but we felt the Walmart Family Mobile Plus Plan was the best value for him.
It has unlimited talk, text, & data for $49.88 that includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE† data then 2G. That’s more than enough data for him.
Since Family Mobile bills you later, you only have to pay $19.88 when you sign up.
The cost is for the SIM kit. There is no activation fee, which is another plus.
The Plus Plan comes with a free VUDU movie credit that has a $7 value – the same as new release rental. We don’t have cable in our home, so he’ll love this extra feature.
Even though he’s a teenager (or perhaps because he is one), one of my biggest concerns was what kind of content he could view with his phone. When I registered his new phone and signed up for the monthly service, it eased my mind that I could set up a web filter to restrict access to adult web content.
My home – my rules! 🙂
He’s thrilled to have his own phone, and I have peace of mind that I can reach him when he’s away from home.
This is one of those first moments that I’m glad I can share with him. He’s growing up so fast.
What are your favorite “first moments” memories of your kids?
I’d also love to hear what rules you put in place for cell phone use in your home.
Please share them in the comments below, and join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Vaya con Dios,
Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to Walmart Family Mobile or your local Walmart for current pricing.
I think it’s great that you take a “my house, my rules” stance with the phone! There is so much garbage out there and even adults have a hard time filtering it out.
One thing that I told my daughter is that I reserve the right to randomly take her phone at any time and check everything out. Sometimes I feel weird about that, but I also don’t want to let everything remain unchecked. I checked it out a while ago and found that some guy had requested pictures from her. She had said no, but I was able to talk to the kid (who was REALLY embarrassed!) and take care of it. There is too much that is able to be done in secret, and I am glad to know that my girl had the self-respect to say “no” very firmly!
Randi, I did tell my son the same thing that I reserve the right to check his phone. I explained that even though he’s paying for his phone, if his dad or I see anything bad happening with it, we can and will take it away. He is our first priority.
My kids are all grown with their own families now. When they were growing up, cells were still fairly new. We did eventually get them all one. Luckily smart phones weren’t around till they were older, so they were strictly used for phone calls. Thankfully the Internet was only accessed at home on the computer with supervision ?
I think, if they had grown up with smart phones, I definitely would have set strict time limits! (As we did for computer time). No phone during homework time, dinner time, and after a set time in the evening. They still need to know how to enjoy life without a smart phone and how to have an actual conversation, etc… I do believe the one best parenting tool is your presence in their life! Too many kids see a parent in the morning, then not again until after dark. When you choose to have children, you have to be prepared to make sacrifices. Selfish parenting never works. Good luck and God speed!
So true, Penny. I didn’t give my son time limits yet, but he isn’t allowed to take the phone in his room. He really doesn’t like to talk on the phone. He’d rather text and he doesn’t need to hide in his room to do that. He can’t touch the phone while he’s at home until his schoolwork and chores are done for the day. Those were 2 of the basic rules we gave him, but we also told him we can and will occasionally inspect his phone to make sure he’s using it responsibly. I strictly forbid Snapchat, since those conversations disappear and can’t be checked.
Your son has had so many great first moments lately! I really like that you’re helping guide him towards responsible use of a phone, and his refund!
Thanks for sharing, Angie. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in the world to feel this way, so it’s nice to see there are still like-minded folks out there. My kiddies are grown and on their own now, but every once in a while they tell me they are glad I cared enough to be careful of their worldly contacts. Bet your kiddies will tell you the same. Have a great day.