Will buying a Play station for my 8 year old ruin my life?

[SisforSoppy]

DS8 is desperate for a PS. He was just recently bemoaning the fact that he didn’t get one for the last 2 christmases. I just don’t want to add another battle to the daily grind and forsee there being many. If you’ve bought your DC a PS, do you regret it?

I wouldn't

No way!

Don't do it. Slippery slope

I definitely wouldn’t. He is only eight - to me a PlayStation or Xbox is more a teenager activity.

I got my 7&8 year olds one, it's made my life much easier, they get their spelling done/showered/eat meals with no fuss to earn an hour here and there.

My parents got my 8 year old one without asking me first, it’s caused countless tantrums, I have now taken it away and calm has been restored

My ds is 9 and uses DH's Xbox

It's in our kitchen / diner so we can monitor him on it

He chats with his pals from school and they build shit together in Minecraft. It was a lifesaver in lockdowns as he's an only child

A friend's ds is the same age as mine and he has his in his bedroom. I'd not be happy with that. Another pal plays on the family TV in the lounge which they say is annoying

Yeah don't do it

It will ruin your life. And their future spouse.

DH got his first gaming console aged 5. He's now 37 and has had every single one. Ever.

He's playing right now. He's actually addicted (and yes I did know this when I married him )

DCs got one to share the Christmas they were 10 and 7. 2 months later it saved my sanity during 5 days off school during the Beast From the East. It was helpful for distracting/entertaining them during lockdown, but basically it has sucked away any interest my dc have ever had in anything else and causes no end of arguments. I’d try and stand off for a bit longer.

Mine has one.

All three of my kids are allowed an hour a day on them during the week and more (flexible) at the weekend.

They don't take the piss and come off when asked so it's genuinely not an issue. The (now) 9 year old can get a bit aerated at Fortnite so if he's getting upset then he's directed to stop playing and do something else. He does recognise when he's getting wound up and normally diverts to Minecraft.

Consoles are fine so long as you have easy to enforce boundaries in place. I'm not sure what there is for PS but for Xbox there is a Microsoft app where I can control what they use, what they play, what they buy, and the time they spend on it.

Personally I think waiting for them to be teenagers before you allow it just means you have to be more lenient and trust them more to self-regulate.

Oh yeah - if you do keep it in the lounge as well.

To give an alternative perspective: DS1 is 8 and we have a PS4 and we don't have any problems. He doesn't play every day, and he accepts that there are limits on how much he plays. He doesn't argue about turning it off when he reaches them. I accept that we're lucky inasmuch as he's a very rule abiding personality but it's honestly been completely fine.

Thanks everyone. Think I’m going to have to come up with a very wow replacement Christmas present.

We have an old Xbox 360 and a Wii. Not overused and don't cause tantrums, also not expensive. 10 year old DS would rather have a gaming PC than a console anyway, but he isn't getting one of those either!

It depends entirely how you parent with a console from the very beginning.

Time is earned once xy and z or whatever it is they need to do is done. If it isn’t done then away it goes.

You keep the console in a family area only and you have parental controls.

DH, DS and I all game. DS and I are currently gaming together, I msg on MN in between lobbies and we run a clan together for an MMO we play. All of us have done a lot of gaming plus sport when young, all represented our school in sport and we all have really decent A levels plus DH and I have both graduated and taken post graduate and professional exams.

If you do, my only warning would be not to buy FIFA. My DH is a gamer and it sends him into a rage. No other game has the same effect on him and I've been tempted to throw out his console on more than a few occasions. I actually made him stop playing once and felt like his mother but he was driving me up the wall with the swearing I mentioned it to a colleague at work who is a gamer and he said it's the same for him. He can play everything else quietly but FIFA is infuriating. Why they keep going back for more I'll never know.

We have a ps5. It's a great thing to use as bribary to get essentials done before putting a game on.

They aren't the evil thing people make out. Just set limits and stick to them.

Ps5 slightly used but in very good condition, can provide more pictures if you message the number provided ( 706) 487-5950 text only ) . it’s free so you have nothing to lose.