"Motherfest" is an OMC-exclusive column about parenting in Milwaukee.

Perhaps you've seen the commercials for Verizon's Migo or Cingular's Firefly, cell phones designed for kids between the ages of five and 10. Parents preprogram the phone so their kid can only call four contacts, so it's not exactly like Emmy's going to burn up beaucoups minutes by accidentally calling France, but I'm still not sure what to think about this.

Dana Carpenter from Core Creative, the marketing firm representing Verizon Wireless, says it's a good way for families to stay connected.

"It is perfect for parents who want their children to have a device they control," she says. "The phone gives the child an emergency contact to call in case they find themselves in trouble."

But Brown Deer's Meghan Rice disagrees. She thinks the cell phone companies are exploiting parents' fears to sell more phones, and that cell phones for kids are simply one toot over the line.

"What next, cell phones for the unborn?" she asks.

Although packages may vary, the Migo costs around $150 with a one-year Verizon contract that charges $10 a month for the extra service. It's cute; looking more like a toy than a real phone, complete with two short antennae that give it a buggish appearance. And in the age of Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, who doesn't adore a cute bug?

As parents, we all struggle with "what ifs" and indeed, having a cellular lifeline to our pride-and-joy sounds like a way to eliminate a few of our uncertainties. Plus, I remember being eight years old and trying to reach my mom from a payphone at the beach when it started to thunderstorm, and it was scary.

But could it be that buying more and more gadgets for our kids -- which generates more monthly bills -- we parents are forced to work longer, harder hours and spend more time away from our families? Or am I'm taking this too far?

By no means do I want my kids to rely on smoke signals or messenger pigeons in order to reach out to me during a crisis, but does a five-year-old really need a cell phone?