Am I being really daft beng bothered by this or would it bother you too?

[Sidge]

I went to visit a really good friend yesterday with my 3 girls, aged 10, 5 and 2.5. We've known each other for years and her children are 10 and 4.

When we arrived she made a drink and we sat in the lounge, my younger children started playing with the toys from the toy box. Her husband was playing an X-box game with her younger child, I thought it looked really violent (one of those war-type shooting games) and asked what they were playing. He said it's a game called Call of Duty 4, which I now know is rated 16+.

Am I being really schoolmarmish by thinking

1. Playing a game like that with a 4 year old is inappropriate.

1. Playing it when you know someone is coming to visit with young children is inappropriate.

I obviously didn't say anything (not my house or child) but did feel quite uncomfortable trying to hold a conversation and interact with my children whilst the incredibly realistic graphics of this game showed men dying in hideous ways, accompanied by really yukky noises as they got shot/bombed/mortared/whatever gruesome end they came to.

I was quite relieved when he stopped playing!

[emkana]

yanbu

what a horrible thing to do

[scrooged]

I agree but if this is how they choose to raise their children.......

[CharleeInChains]

YANBU - DP has this game (amongst other violent ones) and he doesn't put it on whilst the children are awake.

[HecatesTwopenceworth]

it's inappropriate.

[nickytwotimes]

It would bother me too. It is not appropriate at all. I find those games in very poor taste.
Not sure how you could resolve the problem though, other thn visit when he is not there or have them to your house?

[emkana]

It's up to them how they raise their children but it's just bloody rude to do this when guests are there, esp if they have children

[andyrobo237]

Definately not daft being bothered by this!

I would have found it offensive as these games are rated for a reason. I would have expected your friend to ask her Dh to turn it off and play the game later.

It is quite difficult at other peoples houses and perhaps she is oblivious to it, but if I was in your shoes I would have felt uncomfortable - and if she was a really good friend, I would have asked for it to be turned off as it would upset my kids!

[wrinklytum]

Well,I suppose each to their own but I wouldn't let ds aged 5 play on such a game,but I suppose when it is someone elses's house it makes it difficult to say anything.

[chegirl]

YANBU at all.

My OH is a lovely man, non violent and a great dad but it took him AGES to realise that this was not appropriate to play these games in front of the children. I would often come into the room and find him playing some awful game with the kids watching, ditto playing hidious hard core rap in the car!

He really didnt think about it and doesnt listen to lyrics so I had to remind him a few times. He would never do it it now.

And he really is a lovely bloke (honest)

[letswiggle]

Bit weird to sit glued to the X-box when you have guests at all, isn't it? I would have had my 4yo ds up serving drinks and peanuts or something instead

[Sidge]

Thank you for reassuring me that I wasn't being totally precious about it. I'm normally really open minded and quite laid back but this really bothered me!

As you've all said it was a sticky situation; I didn't feel that I could ask him to turn it off (luckily he was off to work about an hour after I got there so it wasn't on the whole time) and I was quite surprised she didn't say anything and was letting her 4 year old play it with him too, as we have always had quite similar parenting 'styles'.

We take it in turns to go to each others house, and her DH isn't usually there as he works shifts, so it has never come up before. I can only guess that he plays these sorts of games often so she has sort of tuned it out and didn't register.

[MillyR]

YANBU. I am quite lenient about xbox games, but I would not let my 10 year old play Call of Duty 4.

[LucyEllensmummy]

YANBU - i hate anything like this. My DP isnt a playstationxboxwhatever fan, but has the occasional go on games such as, hmmm, fuck, i cant think but they are really violent and i dont like it. Tomb raider scares the shit out of me

[ohdearwhatamess]

YANBU. Inappropriate on both counts (and downright rude).

My dh has this game, I think (and others of that ilk). He only plays it once the dcs (and me - I hate the noise) are in bed.