Afterschool Safety for a Single Mom
by Elizabeth
(Charlotte, NC, USA)
I became a single mom a couple of years ago, which meant figuring out how to juggle family and work responsibilities in a new way. One of the changes we made was to move close to my son's school so that he could walk home in the afternoons.
Our situation and finances meant that my son would have to be home alone every day for about an hour until I got home from work. He was old enough, and understood the rules, responsibilities and expectations of being home alone.
I looked into getting a home phone line so that he could call and let me know he was home safe. During my searches for affordable plans, I discovered Kajeet.
Kajeet turned out to be the perfect solution. For about $20 a month he had a phone of his own, which he thought was awesome. The phone itself we bought, refurbished, for about $35. I loved that he called me every day to tell me he was home and to talk about his day and the homework he had to do. I used the contact manager to lock down his service so that he wasn't using it at school or calling/texting anyone he wasn't supposed to. He was able to start keeping in touch better with his out-of-town relatives. That has helped him a lot emotionally given the big changes in the past few years. With my uncertain finances at the time, it was nice for me to not be locked in to a contract.
But - here's how Kajeet (and my son) saved the day:
One afternoon my son was approached by a strange man on his way home from school. The man asked him if his mom was home. He lied and said yes. (We had talked about 'stranger danger' many times before.) The man then told my son 'I love you.' My son ran away, ran home, locked the door, and used his Kajeet phone to call me immediately. I called the school and the police. Within five minutes the school security guard and police officer were with my son.
I can't bring myself to consider what may have happened if things had gone differently, but I feel 100% better knowing that my son has a cell phone and can call me anytime from anywhere for any reason. It is also reassuring to know that at any time I can login to Kajeet.com and use the GPS tracking feature to locate his phone (and him) if I need to.
Many parents might think that kids and teens don't need cell phones, or that something scary like what happened with my son could never happen to them. I am here to tell you it CAN happen, that Kajeet phone helps a lot with my peace of mind. It has also taught my son about how to take care of something and be responsible.
Worried about sexting? You can block picture messages. Don't want them on the phone with their friends at 3 am or while at school (except to call you)? You can lock down their service that way, too. Kajeet has thought of it all and provides what the parents and kids want.
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