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My teenager has learned a text messaging lesson...sm

Posted By: Southern belle on 2008-02-21
In Reply to:

A couple of weeks ago while at drama practice one of her peers asked if she could use her cell phone both days of practice as she didn't have her cell phone with her. My daughter let this other kid use her phone and didn't pay attention to the fact she was staying on it the entire time of the practices (the other kid only had a couple of lines). When my daughter walked over to her her phone she saw the other kid texting - and we don't have text messaging as part of our plan.

The bill arrived yesterday and this other child ran up $63.40 in text charges because there's a 20 cent/kb/message fee. My daughter isn't happy that she has to pay this bill out of her babysitting money but I reminded her that her phone is her responsibility and I'm not paying her bill. She swears she'll never let anyone use her phone again. I do hope she's learned her lesson!

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My teenager has learned a text messaging lesson...sm - Southern belle
- Followup on the situation....sm - Southern belle
- Other things could be happening here. Call parent - sm
  - Good advice, Southern Belle. nm - mtusa13
  - Absolutely wonderful post. I never thought - trose
- I would call other girl's mom and see if you couldn't.... - M.A.
  - Daughter's phone is daughter's responsibility. Valuable lesson learned. - -sm
    - You're right.... kids have to realize they have....sm - Just me
  - Absolutely call the parents of this kid. - trose
- Ouch! - Shannon
  - I'll call the other kid's parent, make them pay the bill - anon

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Our teenager learned a valuable lesson today about cell phones....

She got a new cell phone last month and downloaded a bunch of ringtones, even though I reminded her that each one costs money + the transfer fee, which the system prompts you for as we don't have the internet plan for the cell phone (don't do text messaging either). Well, she ignored the prompts about the 3 cents per kilibite fee and size of the files alert when she accepted the downloads she selected. To make a long story short..... her bill for her downloads is right at $60.

She is crying that she has to pay this bill but I'm not working overtime because she ignored my telling her about the costs and accepted the charges. This will teach her a lesson on responsibility. She was expecting the bill to be about $20. She'll be babysitting up a storm this next month to pay this bill!

Text messaging........
My husband came home from work one day and said his boss had brought in a stack 1 inch thick of text messaging his daughter had done for one month. The bill for messaging alone was over $400. My son has no limit to his text messaging with a low monthly fee, thank goodness.

Lesson learned I guess but ..
I do not know how close you are with her and I would not want to start a family feud but I would buy a new one and present her with the bill and ask for half. I also would never loan her another thing. I would have asked for it back way before that time though. Even with family members I trust I always ask for things back after about a month or so just because of that. When I do loan things out I also tell them you break it you replace it. But you do need to speak up.

My sons both learned that lesson the hard way
One had 1200 text messages in a month (I pay for 300) and the other did the same download thing. I wish there was some way you could block their phones after a certain amount of $$. Needless to say, both had a nice chunk of money to pay mom back.

Daughter's phone is daughter's responsibility. Valuable lesson learned.
It should be between the daughter and the friend if the friend is going to pay any of the fees. They are teenagers, not preschoolers.

I text!

My daughter is 9 and has a Tracfon, but she only gets it when she goes to her grandmas, to a friends house, etc. Her friend down the road has one (same age) and is on her phone ALL the time.

My husband and I however have Sprint Everything Plan. So we literally have EVERYthing, unlimited. (He owns a small business and is on his phone WAY to much!!!) We actually do text each other and I have some friends I text occasionally. I think it is nice for the "got home safe" or "r u ok" type messages. I am not a big phone talker though, so I actually like to text sometimes.

I text, too
My two oldest kids got a Verizon plan and I ended up going on it too and we have unlimited texting. DS works away all week and DD is away at college, so we text each other all the time.

Mooooo!!!! ; ) no text
X

Thanks, I will check them all out! No text.
x

printing text messages sm
Is there a way to print out text messages sent to me on my cell phone? I think I've seen this done before, but don't know how. I have Verizon wireless. TIA

My life lesson would be to say "I love you" to
your family every chance you get as you don't know when they won't be around anymore, take nothing for granted.

May be she'll learn a lesson?
I'm glad to hear you made an official police report.

Lesson about working in jammies . .

One very cold sunny Michigan winter day I needed to run outside to get something out of the truck I had forgotten the day before. I grabbed the extra key kept by the door to unlock it and out I went in NOTHING by pink flannel jammies (no bra or underwear) and fluffy dog slippers, yep ladies, I was stylin . . well, the dog went after his ball which had rolled behind the door and the door slammed shut just as I went out the door! Now, we live in a rural area with no neighbors close by, it was about 8 degrees out, and I had chicken cooking on the stove to make chicken and dumplings!! I had already turned it down and covered it and it had to cook for about 40 minutes. Luckily I had the key to the truck. I had to drive around to neighbors trying to find someone home so I could call my mother or husband, who both have house keys. The only neighbor I could find was standing out working on his tractor with his brother and his dad. I pulled up and asked to use a cell phone. When he walked over the truck, imagine the look on his face when he realized I was in my pajamas at 3:00 in the afternoon! LOL, that was one of the most embarrassing minutes of my life! The guy and my husband have been friends since high school. But I did get a hold of my mother, who came with her key and I got back in before the chicken burned, otherwise I was going to have to break a window to get in so the house didn't burn down.

Video lesson with a British accent. (sm)
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-apply-foundation-to-mature-skin

Whoops. Meant what "his" thinking is. - no text
x

as a teenager those were the best sm
I just remembered that it really sucked waiting for the dough "to rise". Never really saw any difference but my BFF and I loved them. We also loves Pizza rolls, couldn't get enough of them.

this isn't about you, and your're not a teenager
nm

we used to do something similar when I was a teenager sm
(back when the earth was still cooling,LOL). We took a block of cream cheese and poured Tiger Sauce over it. Sure was good!! Don't know if Tiger Sauce is even still available but it would probably be along where the hot sauce is in the grocery store.

Yes. Make your teenager responsible for as much as she can pay for.
and maybe a little more. Don't make it easy. Make sure that she has to work a little (not so much that grades suffers), has to budget, and plan and take the responsibility of driving seriously. This is more than likely the most dangerous thing your child has done so far her life. Make sure she understands that. It's not a social thing, a drive-around-with-your-friends thing. Preparing a young person for driving responsibilities is life and death.
Unfortunately, in the last three yeas, I've been to three funerals for teenage drivers -- all of whom were out of control in every aspect of their lives. Our state does not allow children to become licensed drivers until age 16-1/2. Our house rule was age 17. We did pay for the driver's ed, because it was pricey, our sons truly could not afford it, and we wanted our boys to have ever chance to learn to drive safely. Even though we taught them ourselves, as well, sometimes kids hear better what total strangers say to them! Also, I had a rule during permit driving sessions with my boys. They were never allowed to argue with me while we drove together. I was the teacher. I knew more than them. No arguing over anything, or else I terminated the lesson, car was pulled over, I drove home and that was the end until I felt we were ready for another driving lesson. That rule drove home how serious a responsibility driving is. I only had to do it once to one of my sons.
My oldest was lucky enough to inherit is grandfather's pristine 1991 Toyota (38,000 original miles) when pop-pop no longer could drive. It's a decent, dependable car. My son pays for repairs and gas. We pay for the insurance at this point, simply because we live in a big eastern city, and insurance is sky high. But, our son is also paying his own college tuition, so I have no problem helping him out with the insurance on his car.
This is a big deal. Make sure your daughter grasps the gravity of the responsibility. Don't argue with her about anything. These decisions have to be made by the parents, because it's a health and safety issue for your daughter and everyone else on the road with her.

comparing yourself to a teenager makes you look...
and you don't know how to put "no message" on outside of your post, so we don't have to waste time clicking to open your message just to see there is no message!

I think she said in her post that it was a teenager in her neighborhood.
My daughter would do it for that amount just for spending money. I wish I could have someone come in just once a month to do major cleaning. My daughter and I with the help of my husband do cleaning every Saturday with of course spot cleaning during the week, but just once a month would be great to do the things I hate doing.

Need advice on teenager vehicles......sm
Okay, it is time to get my 16-yo her own vehicle. I intend to get her an older vehicle (less than 10 yrs old), pay cash for it as I don't want payments for she or myself. How does everyone handle with kids what percentage you make them pay for etc? I want her to learn responsibility and appreciate the vehicle, just by my preference would prefer to pay in cash (less than $5000, hopefully). Do I make her responsible to pay her own insurance or half of it? By her own gas? or should I make her buy the car from me? Not sure what everyone else does so I would like some ideas as I said, I don't want to just give her everything in life. I want to make her earn it, take care of it, appreciate it, and be responsible, but don't want to go overboard either. She is in 10th grade, A/B student (Currently 11th place in class and working towards bumping up to be in top ten by the time she graduates). She is very well behaved, never a troubled child. She does have a lot of activities that would prevent her from making much of any income with an after school job. She is varsity cheerleader (off season just now, but will practice all summer), plays tennis, basketball/baseball manager, takes tumbling classes 1 night a week. So she is very busy in a good way. She would also be driving siblings to school for me and running errands occasionally. Anyone care to share what you do/have done or have any ideas/suggestions?

When I was a teenager my mother had mono
My dad and the doctor (IMO) ingored the problem until she had such a high fever that she was halucinating. At that point I informed my dad that he had two choices, take her to the hospital or call 911. He took her in and they were all amazed at how bad she was. I know they gave her some kind of antibiotic.

I could have shot my dad. He is a total hypochondriac and yet he would let her go that far.

When I was a teenager I loved babysitting
There were a couple of incredible kids right across the street that I often babysat for. I had them one New Year's Eve and I had planned games and made cupcakes for them to decorate. We had a blast.

There was a family behind us that had a 4yr old daughter and 2yr old twin sons. I only babsat for them once. I took my purse with me when I went to their house and one of the kids tried to get into it so I put it on top of the fridge. Walked into the kitchen a couple of minutes later and found one of the kids standing on a chair trying to get to my purse. Found another kid in the upstairs kids bathroom with an entire bottle of shampoo poured out all over the throw rug. I finally got them calmed down and was reading to them while sitting on the floor in the den. I have no idea how this happened but within a matter of a couple of minutes I was "accidentally" poked in both eyes. I spent 3 hours with these "kids" and got $5.00. After that every time the mom called I was busy.

When I was a teenager, my Dalmatian chewed
both of the rear tail-lights off my dad's new Lincoln Continental. She also once ate an entire, 6-foot leather leash. Taking her for a walk was like going out with a vacuum-cleaner with legs!

You sound like a little teenager with your response
You were the one who was giving a free ticket to a man freaking out after a childbirth. There is not that much freaking in the world. Grow up! You should have listened more closely to the adults when you were smaller. Your post was ridiculous.

I wish to share with you my experience as a teenager.

Hi T: Your story sounds a little like what happened to me as a teenager. Well really I was a virgin until 17, but after that I went through a period when I declared my independence -- or at least I thought I was. You are so right though about girls waiting and they should not just go for sex with the 1st boy they meet. I really feel sorry for girls who get caught up in this lifestyle, thinking to be popular with the boys, they have to do this. Where are their mothers and dads who should guide them and give them enough confidence that they can just walk away and not worry if they are popular or not.

I find this behavior very sad and disappointing for the girls involved. Of course now that I am much older and I realize how foolish this was for me. But there is still a hypocritical element to our society and boys want to get as many of the girls they can, but in the end they do not respect them. What a vicious circle it is as a teenager. I am just glad that is all behind me, as I am up in age near retirement.

If I had a chance to talk to the young girls, I know what I would say. You must value yourself and avoid any young men who would degrade you in any way. I just wish I had a mother to be there for me at that very difficult time in my life. That would make all the difference in the world.

P.S. T do not be too harsh on yourself. I think I know where you were coming from (mind set). This is a painful part of my past, which I have always wished to cover up. It is healing to bring it out in the open.

I wish to share with you my experience as a teenager.

Bulemic teenager - advice needed...sm

I've suspected for a while that my soon to be 16 stepdaugher is bulemic but her dad doesn't believe it. Right after she eats a meal she goes to the bathroom and stays a long time. She has lost about 40 lbs over the past year. Today while doing laundry I found a note that she wrote and says:

Eat & Die. No eat for a week (in & out) Lose 10 lbs. Eat again.

I am going to share this with my hubby when he calls while on a lunch break from work. Perhaps now he'll believe me. I've called the pediatrician's office and left a message for them to call me with the name of a psychologist treating eating disorders to take her to.

Any ideas of how to handle him if he still is in denial? I'm sure the stepdaughter will deny the eating disorder... she did before when I asked her about it. Overall she & I do have a good relationship but this is an area I know she's not being honest about.

i would take this opportunity to educate your teenager and her friends sm
on cycles and ovulation. you can only get pregnant during ovulation, which is usually 10-14 days after they start that time of the month. educate them at least and give them info to research and educate themselves. of course abstinence or protection is best, but education is better compared to kids having kids too.

teenager vomiting each month without menses

Hey all. Need some advice. I have a neice who has started vomiting violently every month, but has yet to begin menstruating. We are thinking it may be related to her period/onset of her period. i have heard of this somewhere, but for the life of me cannot remember what I heard. Any information/advice?

Also, anyone here that can recommend a good ob/gyn in the Lexington, Kentucky area?

Thanks in advance.

she absolutely can be judged harshly; any teenager should be for this reason
nm

As a teenager, I worked as a waitress...it sure was a school of hard knocks. LOL.
Waitresses have one of the toughest jobs. A good waitress deserves all of her 20% tips. Not enought money, IMHO.

I think she has learned
Sounds like she has learned. . I think you did the right thing. .

Maybe you have never learned how to
relax and you don't realize how you sound when you talk to people. Have you ever recorded one of these conversations to play it back for yourself later? Exercise like Pilates or relaxation therapy with biofeedback might really help you sound more relaxed when you converse with people.

I'm 48 and this is what I know/learned
I can quilt, clean, bake and my cooking is so-so. I'd prefer to bake. I grew up in New England in the 60s when in winter we'd have huge ice and snow storms, and depending on the season we learned different things. My mom taught us how to quilt, sew (plus I took sewing in home ec, girl scouts & 4H - I have lost touch and want to learn again). We learned how to can food for the winter, garden in the summer/fall. We lived in the country and mom would take sis and me into the woods in our backyard and she would point out plants, flowers, types of trees etc teaching us which is edible, poisonous, etc (however if my life depended on it now I'd surely be dead). She taught us candle making, kitting and she tried some crotchet but I couldn't get the hang of it. Her aunt taught her how to TAT (if you can't get crotcheting you certainly won't get tatting) :-). My dad taught us cooking, baking, morse code, and cleaning (he was a cook in the service and also learned morse code, and he would not let us get our drivers licence until we knew and could prove two things. We had to be able to change a flat tire by ourselves without help and he would drive us in the middle of nowhere (there was lots of nowhere in New England) somewhere we were not familiar with and he'd distract us along the way, and then hand me a map and told me to find my way back home shortest route possible so as not to run out of gas. Even my grandmother taught us things (she lived a 2 minute walk from our house). She taught us how to darn socks (I asked why she didn't just buy new ones and I thought she'd fall over in a fit HA HA), she taught us mending, patching, ironing (she had the most crisp and well ironed bed sheets :-). Even though my mom didn't have to say it we knew these were life skills we may need to fall back on. There has been a lot of knowledge I've lost along the way, my interests have changed and there are new things I'd love to learn. I do think more and more people are so used to just throwing things away, but with times like they are I think everyone will start making due with what they have and learn to repair.

I have learned
to stay out of it and I learned this by experience. I had a very good friend (widowed) who got involved with this guy who was 30 years older than her. At first like everyone else I assumed that money was involved but being her friend, I decided to talk some sense into her. I gave her the usual reasons why she should NOT marry this guy. He was older than her mother, what would people say, he probably could not have kids and even if they did have kids, he'd probably die and leave her a single mother. I really cared for her and felt that I was looking out for her because obviously she had lost her mind. She told me that although she loved her mother, she could not live her life to please her. She said that she did not care what people thought because people will think what they want to no matter what you did in your life. She said that she was a widow and that had she had children with her first husband, she would be a single mother anyway. So like any good friend would do, I supported her. Today, years after, they are one of the happiest couples that I know. Her mother thinks the world of her son-in-law (especially since he treats her daughter the way she deserves) and her real friends (me included) get the joy of spending time with a couple who makes you smile every time you visit them and you feel the love and respect that they have for each other touch you. I am blessed to be considered a friend by both of them. It is not for everyone, but for those who do enter into a May/December relationship good luck to them.

Ah but most of us learned the language! lol
x

I learned from my grandma's and we did that for my FIL.
His service was the best...just friends telling stories about him. I think the reason for the "saving" is because my grandma's funeral was in Iowa. Plus, honestly, I didn't expect that. It was horrible.

yes and they learned more about the shooter

Such a shame but in Korea they teach in the schools all kinds of antiamericanism...though he did come here when he was 8 years old...1992.

Very said, indeed, and I pray for all the victims, their families, the town of Blacksburg and students, families alike, and for the heroes of this HORRIBLE incident, especially Professor Librescu, an Israeli teacher who helped the kids and died in the end and who was a Holocaust survivor himself.

GOD BLESS THEM ALL!

Lessons learned
Believe me, I knew absolutely nothing when I looked at houses on my own for the first time. Oooo! Pretty kitchen! Nice carpet! Love the color of the living room! Then when I had the home inspection done which cost me a good chunk of change, and boy did I learn fast. I had a 35 page report from him. I passed on the house, but I took that report to every house I looked at after before calling him to come look again and dishing out more money for the inspection. I cringe when I think of what could have been had I bought that house without his expertise. I would be in financial ruins trying to keep up with the repairs or selling it at a loss.

I am not always, perfect with it, but have learned that
a whole week or a month. Enjoy yourself now and again and have what you want is also the key for me.

Will power and determination, and prayers, coming you way !!

I learned a lot from biofeedback.
I don't have any pain issues anymore, and I think learning to relax was key. I had no idea what my muscles were doing until I started getting massage from a physical therapist, and it felt great, but the effect didn't last because I couldn't stop the muscles from coiling back up on me. That's why I did the relaxation therapy with biofeedback, and I learned a lot.

I recently learned that among those who are into -
New Age beliefs (which I'm not particularly), a personality type called "Indigo" exists. The 25 traits that make up an Indigo fit me and my authority-questioning ways to a T. It was quite a shock how exact the match was. Even more interesting was other people's descriptions of their lives, etc. as an Indigo. You might check that term out, cuz you just might be one, too!

According to the teachings of that group, Indigos often lead difficult lives because they spend much of them swimming against the current, but that they are ultimately the ones who will save the world.

Food for thought, when it comes to the differences between leaders, and followers!

Wow --- here's a few tricks we learned

about Dish -- maybe it will work with Direct TV, too. We wanted a better deal with our Dish. Our original contract was up and we were free agents. We stayed with them for about 5 years after the contract ended. That was when they came out with the extra boxes for a few dollars more a month. Originally, you couldn't do that. I called them up and asked them if we could get in on that deal. They said no. So we switched to Direct TV. I had already signed a contract with Direct and they were scheduled to come out the next day. I called Dish and told them I was cancelling our service and then they switched me over to a "cancellation specialist", who then proceeded to offer me the very offer I requested originally. Well, it was too little too late. We were already signed up for Direct TV. We stayed on with Direct TV for our 2 years. At the end of the 2 years, I called Dish back up and resigned as a new customer. Somewhere during that time, my remote broke. I didn't have the warranty coverage. The Dish rep told me that I could sign up for it for $6.95 a month and then call back in tell them I needed the remote replaced. She said you could cancel the warranty plan at any time. $6.95 for a new remote sounded good to me. I've done that twice now in all the time we've had Dish.

Then about 2 or 3 years later (still with Dish) we decided to add additional TVs in the house. I called in and asked about it and of course was told the deals were only for new customers. I said okay. Cancel me as a customer. They switched me over to the "cancellation specialist" who then proceeded to offer me what the other rep couldn't. I asked her why they couldn't just give me that deal to begin with and she said they weren't "authorized" to. I figure it's just their way of trying to make money however they can.

Not long ago, we had a disaster happen that ruined our Dish boxes/remotes/outside dish, everything. We called Dish up and told them and their rep worked every angle he could to get us the best deal with the least responsibility for the destroyed units.

Maybe we didn't like Direct because we were so used to Dish -- the programming setup, etc. I do know one thing I like about Direct (my friend has it) -- you can still get East/West coast channels for little to nothing. Dish took them away for a long time and just recently brought them back, but I think it's expensive.

We can't get cable either where we live now, but when we were able to get it, we went with Dish because our cable company sux. I don't know if anything above will work the same with Direct, but it might be worth a try if you ever need to.

I have learned that in these types

of situations, it is impossible to get all the information you need to figure out exactly what is going on. Too many people gossip and pass on bad information.

On the other hand, maybe I am missing something, but it sounds like you are saying that your son broke up with this girl because he couldn't be alone with her. If that is what you mean, then I can see why she would be upset and hurt. That would look like he tossed her aside because of what he was not getting.

OMG! I just learned my son was on drugs

What do I do? He's going to be 40 this year. I had heard years ago that he started on majjuania when he was over in Japan in the service, but didn't believe it. He and his wife broke up (supposedly) over her use of of meth and cocaine, but I didn't believe that either. Lately, he 's been bringing some "not so nice looking" friends around here for approval and not recieiving that, so I have not seen him since Christmas Eve. Tonight, I heard he is on heroin. This is absolutely the straw that broke the camel's back. He always denied he was on meth or cocaine, but tonight's "revealation" is absolutely too much if it's true.

I'm broken-hearted and devastated over this latest "rumor/truth" (from more than 1 person) and don't really know how to bring the subject up and/or confront him with this. I'm so disappointed [in my son] and thought he was smarter than this. Now I understand why he is not actively trying to find work (unemployed since May last year).

Any suggestions? Forget rehab unless it's free. We can't afford it.He's my only son and he had a very tough life trying to live up to my husband's idea of a (step)son, but he really looks up to him now. We have another son (my stepson) who never got into drugs, why my son? Could his life been so bad?

I love my son but am thoroughly upset with this latest revelation. I just don't know what to do, and would like to stand behind him, but if drugs are his first love, I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm not really a confrontal person and don't want to lsoe my son, but if he gets caught, I'm afraid I won't/can't bail him out of jail.

Your thoughts?

I have learned to move on.
I gave both my kids everything including all the love I could, taught them the right way to treat people, cherished them beyond belief, worked hard to give them what they needed growing up (just me raising them, divorced). In talking with DH yesterday I really do not feel that either 1 of the kids loves me like they should. I do not see nor talk with my son now due to a falling out we had in 2005 and my girl, well she is a me type, all about her. If you cannot change things, just learn how to live with them the way they are or wish them well in their lives.

This is what I learned in training...sm
If you do not believe in rewarding good behavior with a tiny treat, then stop reading here. We started on very short walks first. When Shadow would pull on the leash, I would say no, stopped abruptly at the same time, then made him sit before starting again. If he walked without pulling, I would give praise and slip him a treat while walking--do not stop walking. It took a lot of patience, but he now stays close by without a leash (well, most of the time). Good luck.

Nah, don't need proof, was just curious what you learned.
Nah, don't want proof, was just curious.

I learned so much when I bought and then refinanced (sm)
that I was astounded. I've probably forgotten a lot of it and will have to retrain myself for the next time!! Your 'loan boy' as you call him will probably tell you he needs this info so the underwriter will not turn you down automatically - that's a ploy they use to get everything they can out of you. If they ran your credit you have a right to have a copy of it and you can take it to your next place, give it to them and ask for some numbers. Then if they look good to you and you want to go with them - they can run the credit again. And like someone else said - it is not at all unusual to check with several mortgage companies when doing something like this and those are not big dings on your credit.... inquiries for the same thing are lumped together. You would not believe how aggressive you can be and how much you can get if you get pushy - they act like they are doing you a huge favor when in fact they need your business - go where you get treated well - you will never be sorry. Go to a credit union if at all possible - the closing costs are really minimal and if they can take directly from your checking account - you can usually get a better rate also - they like knowing they can count on the same amount each month on the same day. Get your credit scores and call around - tell them your score is say 725, you are self employed, you want $300,000 and want to pay less than $2,000 in closing costs. I bet you would be surprised. Good luck!!