Have you ever been walking through the mall and seen a five year old holding a cell phone, or a nine year old texting? Because of this, we have created the Era of cell Phones.

Over the years, cell phones have been getting way out of hand. What does a five year old need a cell phone for, might I ask? Now, don't contemplate, 'what if they get lost while with their parents at the store? How will they get help?' because only a terrible parent who can't handle watching their own child would let a thing like that happen. When a young kid is seen with a cell phone, people make rude comments and think poorly of the parent.

I'll ask you again, what does a five year old need a cell phone for? Not for calling up their friends all day and texting, that's for sure! A five year old doesn't even know how to hardly work a cell phone. It's just a tremendous waist of money. You might as well be throwing it out yourself.

Misplacing the cell phone is your primary problem. A cell phone is a dead weight clinging to the child's back, just another unnecessary responsibility. Kids (young kids) can't handle big responsibilities, so it's going to get lost like a toy gun to an action figure. Have you ever set an important bill or homework paper down just for a second, and the next thing you know, you're searching up and down the house for it; scrounging through drawers, filing through papers on the counter, etc. That's exactly what's going to happen to the unneeded cell phone.

Dropping the phone is the child's next best habit. Before you know it'CRASH! It's broken. Then your kid will be crying and screaming all day until you buy them a brand new one. That's another stack of money down the drain.

Eight and nine year olds- a wonderful age group. It's when they begin to beg. And the only reason behind it is because other kids own one. But a cell phone in the hands of a child that age looks terrible. It makes the parent look like a spoiler. Spoiled kids grow up to depend on their parents for years and years to come.

I know this sounds harsh so far, but there is one soft side to cell phones that I can take; an emergency cell phone. Now, I don't mean for ages five and six, but for eight and nine. There is such a thing as a 'butterfly phone.' It is a phone that can only call home, 911, etc. That is what I mean for an emergency phone. It would be an OK spend on money, but for very young kids, it's just an over-worried parent.

The youngest age for a normal cell phone; I'd say about thirteen, or when they start going out unsupervised. But here's the problem now. Parents are calling their children's cell phones during school. First of all, the phone isn't even supposed to be on, and second, parents should be calling the main office. It just gets kids in trouble when their phone rings in class. So instead of letting that happen, call the office and they'll send a note down to your kid on what you so urgently need to tell them.

What's the message I'm trying to send here? Children, young children that is, should not own cell phones! It looks bad and you're just throwing dollars on the street. Stop calling your child's phone while they're at school, and stop giving into those innocent faces and begging excuses. It's not all bad, but do enough to stop the Era of Cell Phones!