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In this country at least, phones are being banned in schools for obvious reasons. The practice is spreading internationally and may come to your shores too (if it hasn’t already)
So my grandson of 12 has started to walk home this year. On those days he is given an old phone of his father’s whìch has to be left in his bag at school. He can just use it to call if there is a problem. I have no idea what type of phone it is as, regardless, it does the job intended.
I suggest a compromise and if they're going to get any phone, get them the Samsung. But it would be the Galaxy Z fold 5 with max memory. That way they would have a phone that costs way more than the other kids, has a feature the iPhone lacks, and therefore will have more status, which is what this is really about.
They don't do that more than twice if no one jumps up to bring them take-out food. They only do it if their order gets delivered to them when they call for it. News flash parents: you do not have to give your children everything and anything they ask for, nor do you have to provide it immediately.
The OP is not a relative. There's a lot in his first post that, to me, speaks of being a bit too high-handed and presumptuous in his relation with this mom and her twin girls. Generous, to be sure, but there's something a little 'extra' there too. JMO.
For once, I agree with you. Is OP a millionaire? What is with buying a "friend's" children $1k gifts, to say nothing of dictating what they will be? And starting this will mean they MUST have a new phone every year (rolls eyes), so they'll be forever in his debt. Kind of strange...
Buy the android phone. Tell them "Sorry, kids, but Your Mom said No Iphone, and she's in charge".
An outsider should not be playing himself against the Mom. Trying to buy favor by putting the mother down. And in the meantime, training the kids to play himself against the mother. Saying that to the kids would be completely and totally out of line.
It's actually not good for children to have the newest and the latest and the greatest, especially when it is out of the family's price range. It does bad things to the child's expectations and makes them even more entitled than a child usually is.
Unless when the OP says he has been long friends with the mother, he means he has been dating her for many years, it is inappropriate for him t be giving really expensive gifts to pre-pubescent girls. As a mother, I would never allow it, so I hope that in this case, it involves a very long running and close relationship with the mother.
Smartphones have a lot of negative impact on adolescents. If they’re going to get smartphones, a Samsung will work with parental controls. iPhones are not good in that regard. I would never recommend an iPhone for a minor unless the parent is planning to not have any control over the smartphone usage.
My wife is a special ed teacher so she deals with the parental controls on iPhones and iPads a lot. Apple offers just as good of parental controls as any device. No reason to stick to Samsung in that regard.
It's arguable that the iPhone is better due to air tag tracking, find my iphone, and usage stats all in one package.
Buy the android phone. Tell them "Sorry, kids, but Your Mom said No Iphone, and she's in charge".
When ever my grandkids have suggested they need a device, I firmly tell them that their parents are in charge of that.
A friend has even less right to dictate than a grandparent.
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