The Chronic Consumer

My 7-year-old son is at an age now where he’s almost always playing outside with other kids in the neighborhood. He’s not allowed to wander too far away, of course, but still, he does get on his bike and play out of sight of the house. After getting tired of roaming around trying to track him down to come in for lunch or dinner, I decided to buy a couple of walkie talkies for us to use.

I went with a mid-range Kenwood model that has a stated range of 1.5 miles. But I learned during the research stage that this range applies only to wide open areas like on a ski slope or a big lake. In and around the neighborhood, the range is closer to half a mile — which is still sufficient for our purposes.

These Kenwood walkie talkies are actually pretty good. They cost around $90 each, and work perfectly for putting me in direct touch with my son when he’s out of sight. They are easy to operate, compact, and durable. My son has already dropped his a couple of times (once while running), and the thing still works. It’s scratched up a bit, but it still works perfectly.

I love using these walkie talkies to monitor my son when he’s playing outside. I know they’re not a substitute for adult supervision, but since I can’t be with him 24/7, it’s good to know I can at least call him when needed — all without the contracts and headaches of a cell phone!