Flashback: In 1989, I saw this scenario play out in my own home. My parents were horrified at a phone bill that included around $100 in calls to some mysterious 900-number. I hadn't made the calls, and I assumed that my little sisters hadn't either -- they denied it, and I defended them. But it didn't take much sleuthing to discover that the dozens of calls to the DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince Rap Hotline were no mistake -- my sisters Kelly and Melanie had made those calls. And my parents? Furious.

One of the first responses to Common Sense Media's review of Capcom's Smurfs' Village app was a letter from an irate mother. She'd had an unwelcome surprise in her iTunes account: Her child had purchased $70 in Smurf Berries, the premium in-game currency for Smurfs' Village. She was appalled that Apple allowed this practice and had fired off a stern letter to the company letting them know this. She wasn't alone -- other parents reported having the same charges, sometimes for hundreds of dollars.

So whether it's virtual berries in 2011 or recorded messages from Will Smith in 1989, the feelings are the same. First, there's the shock. ("Why is my bill so high!?") Then there's the disbelief. ("This must be a mistake.") And the detective work. ("This is no mistake.")

And that's when the anger comes in. Maybe it starts with the kid. ("How could my kid do something so stupid?") But it doesn't take long before the anger turns to -- in the parents' opinion -- those evil, greedy corporations preying on children:

●     "How are my kids supposed to know they're spending real money? There's no coin slot on the phone; there's no credit-card swiper."

●     "These companies need safeguards to prevent kids from spending loads of real money on fake goods." (Or recorded chats with celebrities...)

●     And "I want my money back."

So what have the corporations done? Capcom -- which received most of the media attention with Smurfs' Village but is just one of many developers with this kind of pricing structure -- put a warning sign on Smurf Berries. Apple released an update to close the 15-minute window in which kids could buy stuff without having to re-enter a password. And perhaps we'll see how this plays out in court in the class-action suit filed against Apple over the issue. (In case you're wondering, the FTC 900 Number Rule took effect in 1993; it banned advertising these numbers to kids under 12 in most cases and required a parental-permission disclosure for older kids.)

But as a parent, you're not powerless. We've got tips to help you educate your kids on real and virtual online spending. And if you're still not quite sure how to set your phone to minimize unwanted purchases -- or need ideas on how to let responsible kids make purchases -- we've got tips for that, too.