"I'm the only one in my class, no, actually, my whole grade that doesn't have a cellphone." says my eight grader one day as I was looking over the mail at the kitchen table. "Can I PLEASE get one?" Huh, that's a bit of a dilemma, isn't it? Let me think about it. Ok I thought and absolutely, positively, No! And you know what....I don't even feel guilty saying it. Am I missing something? Why is my daughter the ONLY one in the entire universe without a cellphone. It's not that I don't believe her. I know she is definitely in the minority group. According to research by C&R Research https://www.cmch.tv/mentors/hottopic.asp?id=70, 22 percent of young children own a cellphone (ages 6-9), 60 percent of tweens (ages 10-14), and 84 percent of teens (ages 15-18). What is it that compels every parent I know to get their kids their very own cellphone? Is it really necessary? Do kids/teens really need a phone at their disposal at all times? Is it really that important to their social lives that they ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NEED A CELLPHONE? It's not that I'm totally against it. I realize that they are a useful tool in case of emergency and all, but beyond that, isn't it really just another electronic gadget? The "in" thing? I know I have many questions, but I'm seriously perplexed. What am I missing? What am I not seeing? Am I considered a bad parent for sticking to my guns and telling her that she's just going to have to wait until she can afford to pay for it herself? The way I look at it is this: When any one of my children sees something they want and NEED it, NEED it, NEED it, I always tell them this - You can ask Santa, request it as a birthday gift or save up for it. I see this cellphone issue as no different. Do you?