Back to School with Walmart Family Mobile

*This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone #collectivebias *

It’s almost time to head back to school and the one thing my son has been asking for all summer long is his very own cell phone. My husband and I both were torn on whether or not we thought a 10 year old needed a cell phone or whether a 10 year old is mature enough to have one. I mean, shoot…I was 18 and going to college before I got a cell phone and the only reason why my parents insisted on me having one was because I was commuting back and forth to school. It was for emergency purposes. I didn’t have my first cell phone that I could use any time I wanted until I was engaged to my husband. So to me, a 10 year old having a phone seemed rather silly to me.

But…you can’t build responsibility unless you are given an opportunity to do so. One thing I knew I needed to find was the lowest priced unlimited plans. I wasn’t interested in my son having data on his phone just yet, but unlimited texting and calling was a must. Walmart Family Mobile has the cheap(est) wireless plans of all the places I checked. So off to Walmart we went…with one VERY excited 10 year old!

Upon entering the Walmart Family Mobile center, we were instantly greeted by a friendly woman ready to help us. I let her know that I was interested in a phone for him with unlimited phone and text only. She took us to the Sparq II QWERTY keyboard phone. This phone is perfect for someone that likes to text (and the fact that the keyboard slid out, was a big plus to my son).

About the Phone and Plan

The Sparq II QWERTY keyboard phone costs $24.88…very reasonable, in my mind for a tween starting out with their first phone. If you are new to Walmart Family Mobile, you will need to purchase the starter kit for $25. The plan itself, is very reasonable and one that I recommend that anyone looking for #phones4school look into. For $24.88 per month, my son has unlimited text and talk. He’s had the phone for less than a week and I think he’s already sent 40+ texts. Mostly to me, my sister in-law or my mother in-law, but hey…it’s unlimited…text away!

So…what does a 10 year old do with his very first phone besides text his family? I could tell you, but the pictures are worth a thousand words!

Selfie’s at lunch with his sister:

Making his first phone call:

Trying to find MineCraft and disappointed when he couldn’t find it:

Pro’s and Con’s of Tweens with Phones

There are definitely some pro’s to him having his phone. A few that I have found so far are:

• I have something else to take away. Let’s face it, it’s all about finding the currency with it comes to disciplining. Sure you can take the TV away, but if they don’t care, then how well does that work?
• We are heading back to school which means football season is starting. I can drop him off at practice and if for any reason, he needs to be picked up early, he can call me.
• The phone is practically glued to his hip so when he walked around the block to my parents house, I knew he had a way to get a hold of me if there were a problem.
• If he’s at a friends house and would like to come home, he can send me a quick text letting me know he’s ready to come home.

The number one con to a tween having a cell phone is that they don’t know how to use it responsibly, but again, that was my main reason for getting it for him, to build responsibility. For instance…calling grandma to tell her to come pick him up because he got yelled at for fighting with his sister. Funny now, but it wasn’t funny then! It was a huge eye opener as to how much he had to be taught to use the phone and for what it’s worth. So overall, letting my 10 year old have a cell phone as he starts his 5th grade year at school may just be the responsibility building he needs before starting middle school!

For more information on which Walmart Family Mobile plan and phone is best for you, visit your nearest Walmart. You can also visit and follow Walmart Family Mobile on Twitter at their new handle, @FamilyMobile.