text: That's fine IMHO, but be aware that many people, even those with kids, still don't have Internet access at home.\n\nIf you're not allowed to use the home phone for this, or aren't allowed to have a regular cell phone, I suggest getting a prepaid cell phone like Tracfone or Virgin Mobile for yourself.  That way you can show responsibility by keeping up the number, and they don't cost all that much if you keep the number of calls down (like just mostly using it for getting requests for babysitting).\n\nIn any case having a cell phone is a definite safety thing with the apparent increasing number of creeps out there.