Microsoft founder Bill Gates has opened up about being a parent, stating that 13 is a proper age for a child’s first cellphone. The father-of-three revealed( 透露 )on the Today show that his children Jennifer and Rory were not allowed phones until their thirteenth birthday and his youngest daughter Phoebe was still waiting for one. “We’ve chosen in our family that it’s 13 where you get a phone, ”the self-made billionaire explained. He said as a result his kids often return home from school complaining, “All the other kids have it. We are the only ones without it, it’s so embarrassing. ” Despite their vast wealth Mr and Mrs Gates, who live in Lake Medina, just outside Seattle, Washington, have said they want to give their children as normal an upbringing( 教养 )as possible. It was previously( 以前 )reported that their youngsters have to complete household chores( 杂务 )and are given a modest amount of pocket money. And in 2010 Mr Gates said that he intended to give most of his $61 billion fortune away rather than hand it down. “That wouldn’t be good either for my kids or society, ”he said. Also during the Today interview with host Matt Lauer, Mr Gates, who stepped down( 辞职 )from Microsoft in 2008 to concentrate on charity, said that helping others gives him the same energy as creating software. What you really feel is what you’ve achieved. If a piece of software gets out there and lots of people love it—it lets them get their work done in better ways—that’s exciting, he explained. Mr Gates was previously the richest man in the world, but he got shifted down a spot( 点 )in 2010 after he decided to give away $28 billion to good causes.