If you are buying this kind of thing for a 7 year old, what will you get them when they are 13.14.15?

[oflip]

This is the conversation my sister had with my dad at weekend.
My dad has bought his 7 year old an "X-box kit" which cost £250 for Christmas. Dads boy also has 3 Ds's (the XL, 3d one and an ordinary one)
My sister thinks that my dad spoils his boy and is indulgent.
My dad was a bit dumfounded at this question.
Obv its none of her buisiness, but i did stop and think..oh yes, what will be get him then?
ps i didnt get involved, said nowt because i know better from bitter experience.

So, was dsis bu to wonder this?

my ds is getting xbox kit and has a ds and a wii. He is 6. YABU

Lots of 7 years old have an xbox.

As for when they're 14, a new bike, a laptop, an ipod, a phone, clothes, new games for the xbox or a wide variety of things that teenagers like.

It might sound extravagant but it's got nothing to do with anyone except your dad and his partner if he has one. How would you feel if you bought your child something and people started commenting on how inappropriate it was?

YABU

U or not, if my dad had a 7-y-o son on whom he lavished presents, I'd be jealous as hell

ISBU? It depends on so many things, - how much money the family has (ie are the parents martyring themselves to buy these gifts, would the money be better spent elsewhere, or is it 'spare') is it making up for other things (do parents feel guilty about something and are buying affection?) are the children sweet, well-behaved, polite kids, or are they selfish, spoilt monstrosities?

Also, by the time they are teenagers there will be new 'must have' gadgets that haven't even been invented yet.

It does sound quite a lot.

My boys are 4 and 8 and each has a dsi, well, ds1 actually managed to break ds2's (which was pre owned anyway) so technically they have one between them now. But I've just bought another from someone on here, which helps! My parents bought the first one.

We don't have a wii as I despise them tbh (sorry - just so pointless imo, I mean, go and play bowls for real if you want to) or an x box or a playstation etc etc. Just so expensive. They don't even use the dSi's that much though they did for a while last year. I imagine as they get older it might be worth buying something like this that two people can play, but not yet.

I'm all for modern toys and technology but you can go OTT. OTOH I suspect if I had a husband he would probably want stuff like that for himself, so not entirely unreasonable...I just am not interested in it.

We do have abounding lego though and playmobil, so they are spoiled in that respect.

'Dad's boy' is a pretty strange way to describe your little brother

Just because you splash out one year, doesn't mean you have to go one better every subsequent year.

I think it's too young. My son is 10 and we have just bought him his first games console because we are Dickensian and apparently 'mean and embarassing because everyone else in my whole school's got an X Box we have wanted to encourage other pastimes like reading and board games.

My 7yo is getting a Wii for Christmas because I've wanted one for ages but couldn't justify the ££ and have been waiting for her to ask

She got a DSi last year (aged 6 obv), she loves it and it's great for long car
journeys

She still plays out, reads books etc etc

When she's 14? I have no idea. Depends what she asks for/what we can afford/what is available. Just like every other year. CLothes, music, dvd's etc probably.

Plenty of games are very suitable for primary school children, I'd only if they were giving him one of the shooty war games

YABU

I would have thought age 7-10 was the normal age to get an xbox. I don't think you are being Dickensian or mean at all PNS.

Ds had an x box at 7 YABU

I never understand this type of post.

Do people buy presents for their children on the basis of annually increasing value?
Really? It just confuses the crap out of me that people presumably think 'well we spent £80 when he was 8 so it must go up to £100 when he is 10, and then £150 at 13'

I have dc aged 18 to 9.

I think about what they would like and try and get it. It may be £xx for an x-box one year but then a dress or some games or new boots the next.

Tell me. If you buy more expensive presents, outdoing last years total, for each year your child gets older can you talk me through that. In particular what would happen if you bought an expensive present one year and a less expensive present the next.

Please. Because this is posted on here all the time and to me it makes no sense.

Probably whatever bit of kit is current in 10 years time.

There will be a new Xbox by the time the 7 year old is a teen so he can buy that.

I'd say that a 7 year old in the uk with no access to a games machine was unusual.

There'll be something else to buy when they're 14. There's always new stuff out there! Maybe at 14, they'll decide they want a big collection of books instead.

My lot are 9, 7 & 3 & have a Wii & DS (i for the older 2, 2nd hand this year for 3 yr old). I see no need for another games console. School all day, homework after school, reading before bedtime, football training, netball & activities on the weekend. How the hell they have time to play the games I have no idea.

They will not be getting an X Box.

I have a 7.5 yo with no access to any kind of games machine, he will not be getting one for a looooooong time either, or maybe never, until he can buy his own obviously.

But I am aware I am probably in a minority.

^^ what Pagwatch said

I have spent more on dd1 this year than on dd2 (just 2)

Other years it might be different

The point is, they are both getting things that will give them equal pleasure

Next year she might get a game to play on aforementioned Wii and be equally happy with that

Pagwatch has good points. 7 year old won't know that the Xbox set is 250 quid so would have no problem if less was spent next year.

Yabu, plenty of kids have this sort of stuff at that age, it's hardly unusual.
I also don't understand the concept of needing to spend more on dc as they get older, why would you need to?

I always spend more on DS1 (11) than DS2 (2) at Christmas/birthdays. This is simply due to the fact that Xbox games are far more expensive than the kind of plastic tat toddlers like. DS2 gets a much bigger pile though (and that is more important to him than what it cost).

In future years, who knows? I plan to start from what my kids would like rather than any age-defined budget or a number of presents.

Not keeping up with the latest gadgets for your kids if you can afford them and have no moral objection to them having them is a bit like buying clothes for your kids that they can grow into; by the time they fit they will look awful/have lost their shine.

Haven't read the thread but what is it with people thinking that presents have to get progressively fancier and more expensive each year? That's utter bollocks. He gets an xbox this year, he might want/get a jumper next year. There's isn't a present scale written in blood somewhere.

DC's have all that stuff.

No idea what to get them this year.