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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that not buy DS1 (4) a nintendo ds or wii is not deprivation.

55 replies

fruitstick · 03/11/2010 08:26

My sister asked last night whether ds1 would like a NDS for Christmas. I said no.

He enjoys the games on my phone but I feel that as it is my phone is it entirely at my discretion when he uses it. The same with my laptop.

My sister more or less said that it was neglect and that he would be the only voy on reception not to have one. I don't think he knows what one is!

She then said that I was trying to shelter him from life !!!

Her next tactic was to imply that if I was a more disciplined parent there would be no issue with him playing it too much as I would be able to Marshall it.

So AIBU? An I the equivalent of one of those patents who didn't have a tv,

I don't object to games consoles ingeneral but figure there is plenty of time for that. I want to make the mist of the trainset years.

OP posts:

NoahAndTheWhale · 03/11/2010 08:30

He isn't being deprived :)

DS is nearly 7 and DD is 5 and they don't have them. Although between them they use my laptop and iPod touch quite a bit.....

But they are mine

Bucharest · 03/11/2010 08:33

Your sister is the one depriving her children, if she thinks that buying them the latest handheld shite is good parenting.

I wholeheartedly agree with you....dd is 7 and is just starting to realise what nintendothingummywotsits are. Unfortunately.

Enjoy your trainset years!

plupervert · 03/11/2010 08:34

Your sister is undermining you.

TheSkiingGardener · 03/11/2010 08:38

Does she have children? And if so did they have them at a young age?

If so then she probably takes your attitude as a criticism of her parenting. Not your problem but hers so ignore!

YANBU. DS won't have them for a very, very long time

notyummy · 03/11/2010 08:43

She is talking rubbish. DD (4) is in reception and knows what they are....but is happier drawing a pretend DS and 'playing' on it. She has never asked for one. We have a wii (bought for me and DH!) She has had a go on it but gets bored/frustrated within minutes and wonders off to do more drawing.

I am almost certain that the majority of kids in reception WONT have one. The ones that do, it will probably be access to one bought for an older sibling.

You are not some sort of luddite, and you are much better holding out for as long as possible. Frankly, I am sure the overuse of some of these things is partially to blame for the childhood obesity rise.

Poogles · 03/11/2010 08:55

We have bought DS1 (4) and DS2 (2) both one for Christmas as DS1 always wants to play with his cousins ones and is always on my phone, got DS2 one as he always wants what big brother has. I don't plant to let them have them more than on the odd occasion and fully expect them to spend weeks untouched!

As our 2 are quite young, the new DS with the camera etc is a bit too much. We bought reconditioned ones that we got with lots of games, cases etc for a lot less than it would have cost for one.

Our main reason for getting them is for long car journeys when the kids would be sitting there bored anyway!

kreecherlivesupstairs · 03/11/2010 08:57

Of course YANBU. Our DD has one, she is 9.6 now and has had it for around two years. If she has played on it 15 times I would be exagerating. As it stands, DS can't be found presently and I refuse to replace something she has been careless with.
Wait until your DC asks for something rather than pre empting it.

LtEveDallas · 03/11/2010 09:02

No, YANBU.

We had this when DD was in Pre-School and one of her (3 yr old) friends got one for Xmas. When I 'showed surprise' made cats bum mouth her mother said she'd bought one "because everyone else has got one"

DD is 5 and still doesnt have one - and she knows that there is no point in asking me for one until she is at least 8

LindyHemming · 03/11/2010 09:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LutyensLikesCake · 03/11/2010 09:11

If you gift a child a DS at 4, then what do you gift him/her at 9? A yacht?

DD can play on my iPhone and my laptop, but as other posters have said, the said gadgets are mine and I exert final control over them.

SalaDo · 03/11/2010 09:24

YANBU . . My DD did get one for her 4th birthday and she does love it but rarely uses it TBH. Came out at holidays and long car journeys. . . She mainly uses it to draw on which I'm sure used to be done in "the oldent days" with pencil and paper.

Sometimes uiseful but in no way needed!

CrazyPlateLady · 03/11/2010 09:25

YANBU. I think games consoles are for older children. I can't stand it when children that young are in front of a bloody little screen when they could be playing with something more productive. I got my first console (a commodore 64!) at about 10 and there were only a few games for it anyway so it wasn't played with all the time like children seem to these days. Sometimes younger children don't seem to be able to amuse themselves unless they are attached to some sort of technology.

lanismum · 03/11/2010 09:26

My girls have had a ds each since they were 4 and 2, but they dont dont have them anytime they want, they are on a high shelf and are mainly used for when I need them quiet and still or on long car/train journeys, I think they are quite good but given the chance, my dds would spend every minute on theirs, which is why they live on a shelf, a wii is different though, we have one that we bought for dd1s 5th birthday, big mistake, its been on about 4 times, it drives me insane, takes about a month to put all the right bits on the controllers, then after 2 mins they want to change the game, they also find it quite hard to use once they actually get it set up, I think thats an older kids console.

Hedgeblunder · 03/11/2010 09:30

Yanbu- I don't like seeing one that young with consoles, I wouldn't trust them to be responsible with it and I'm a bit sad that they won't get to do what I did at that age (train sets, plastic animals, drawing etc etc)

DancingHippoOnAcid · 03/11/2010 09:39

4 is too young for a DS.

I wouldn't let mine have one until age 7. Even then have to strictly limit their time as they can be addictive.

Ragwort · 03/11/2010 09:44

No way - my DS (9) has finally been allowed to buy - with his own savings - some sort of old fashioned Play Station. It is the first 'technological' toy/gadget he has ever had. We don't have any other screen type gadgets (or whatever you call them) in the house - I don't think he is deprived by any means. He is very sporty, loves school and has lots of friends and outside activities - surely that is what matters?

ForMashGetSmash · 03/11/2010 09:44

My eldest is 6 and I wont get her one...her mates have them (not all) ..I am getting her a thingy by Leapfrog....age 4-9...it's far more suitable and robust!

littletreesmum · 03/11/2010 09:46

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

simonedeboudoir · 03/11/2010 09:48

Of course yanbu. 4 is far too young for a DS

DDs (4 and 3) play cbeebies games on my lap top for a few minutes most days, but I'm around to supervise / switch it off.

Ragwort · 03/11/2010 09:49

And what about the cost - aren't they over £100 each (or more - no idea really?) - would you really spend that on a four year old?

BeccaandEvie · 03/11/2010 09:51

Nonsense yanbu, DD doesn't give a toss about computer games, she can play on the computer if she wants to but she's not bothered.

She'd rather draw or play shops.

I'd keep an 'eye' out for DS shaped pressies on Christmas morning though - do you think she might just buy one anyway?

at pp who bought one for their 2 year old though.

dinosaur · 03/11/2010 09:53

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Poshpaws · 03/11/2010 09:54

I agree with then 'don't get one until they ask...several times over'. DS1 didn't get his until his 7th birthday and was truly not interested until a couple of months before his 7th birthday. He is now 9 and can still take it or leave it. I would say he plays about 20 minutes at a time on it and that is quite infrequently. Same with our Xbox.

DS2 (5.5) has asked for one for Christmas and I think that this is the influence of seeing his brother's.

The ones who have 2 year-olds with DSs, do you have to help them with the games? Some can be quite complicated.

alfabetty · 03/11/2010 09:55

Salado = what game do you have where they can draw/write? We're going to get DS (6) one but I want games that are more similar to the writing/drawing games you get on Leapster 2 than pure computer games.

Thanks

bigarselady · 03/11/2010 09:55

i'd say hang off for a while. We have them but that was Dh who started it off while I wanted to wait. The kids love them and they can be useful but just cos they like and have them, doesn't mean they don't do playdough, read, trainsets, run abaout etc as some folk seem to think . And they also aren't obese.

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