But mom, everyone else has a phone!

Recently, my daughter has decided that she absolutely must have a phone...for school.  She is in third grade.  I see the desperation in her voice and eyes as she tries to plead her case.  It reminds me of myself in the 80's.  I was in Bloomingdales admiring the new Swatch watches that had just came in.  I wanted the pink watch with a scented band so desperately that it hurt.  I got the watch for my birthday  and I can still feel the excitement that filled me as I proudly strapped the plastic, sweet  smelling band to my arm.  I must have looked ridiculous to the teacher as I sat, proudly sniffing my wrist all day.  While I can relate to her plight, I now am on the other end of the situation...and it isn't fun.  I can't believe that many third graders have phones in our little land of suburbia.  I was fairly certain that this request would come in a few years when she entered middle school.  I remember telling her repeatedly in kindergarten that even though one little girl already had a phone, she had to have "double digits" in her age before she could.  Unfortunately, she will be double digits this year.  I should have learned my lesson with age restrictions with the age I put on gum!  As  a toddler, she knew she had to be four for gum. She woke up before the sun on her fourth birthday to remind me that she had reached the magical gum chewing age.  After breakfast, we had to go and buy some.  She has always had a great memory, especially for things that I would like her to forget.  Am I being too overprotective, or trying to keep her my baby girl too long?  Is she really old enough for her own phone?  Personally, I think I am doing the right thing in saying no.  I still think that she should be playing outside, riding her bike, rollerblading, and drawing chalk pictures on the walk and not sitting in her room texting someone else who should be outside, just being a kid.