Other parents were quick to judge when I got my daughter a cell phone in fifth grade; "That's too young" or "What could she possibly need a phone for?!" were common responses. Well, in a divorced home, a cell phone is an extremely beneficial tool for both parent and child. I wanted to keep in touch with my daughter without my ex playing middleman. I loved knowing that she could contact me when she was feeling sad or distant or when she had exciting news to share — or when she simply wanted to say goodnight. We use Verizon, which offers a variety of Just Kids plans that make monitoring your child's screen time supereasy, and I've found that they have phones that cost nothing with an active plan. I got her an iPhone 7 ($349).