She goes to college in less than 2 years. I hope that she is fluent and responsible on her laptop and internet use by then. She can only get that way if we give her freedom. So for her, I feel a laptop is essential at some point. Exactly when that point is, like I said, is gray. We felt it was time.

My kids actually have their very own (desktop) computer so I don’t have to share mine. And also so I can load up their computer with tons of controls while not having to deal with that inconvenience myself.

I just think it’s probably hard for parents who can’t afford it to hear that something is “essential” when it’s not. Convenient, yes, but that’s not the same thing.

and a laptop is a Godsend for a long distance (Two-Homed) relationship where you are going back and forth to each other’s home every other weekend.

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Keep in mind, she is 16. We live in Silicon Valley, and most every kid in the AP classes at her school have their own laptops. She’d fall behind without one. She doesn’t take hers to school, but she does use it daily for writing papers.

As for monitoring her use – her mom joined the same social networking sites and is “friends” with our daughter, so we have some notion of what’s going on. That said, she goes to college in less than two years. We need to give her more freedoms and responsibilities to prepare her for living away from home.

Right now, I’m happier that my kids are stuck using the desktop in the family room (and if they’re at their Dad’s house, they have to ask to use his work laptop). That way we can see exactly what they’re doing. Of course my kids are only 9 years old. They don’t even have cell phones yet, let alone laptops!

Slightly off topic, but apparently you are fine with your daughter using a social network site. Any comments on that? How old was she when you allowed it? I’ve only ever heard bad stuff about those sites, and I’m reluctant to think about ever letting my kids use them. Not knowing what they’re up to online would be my main problem with giving my kid a laptop.

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