to think that 8 years is too young to be playing Modern Warfare3 games?

[funnyperson]

An 8 year old proudly told me he loved playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. His mum said he had all the others and had been give 4 other war computer games by doting relatives for Christmas. I looked it up - the games are rated 18 and might cause upset and distress.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-16745015
aibu to think that wargames have got out of hand for children?

"We're not hippies, just a nice household where gratuitous violence isn't something we want around the place" as opposed to the nasty households which do? :o

I'm criticising you for feeling superior because you don't allow such games in your house as opposed to anything else. Having said that, I do feel superior at the moment for not raising namby pamby children. I take it your kids regularly have their lunch money taken from them by the teabagging gang :o

you miss quite a lot Pushydad. And like the way you make sure you want everyone to know that you distance yourself from the council estate, tattooed, violent dog owner.

'I love it when people generalise/stereotype others Not all COD dads live on a council estate, have tatoos and have a rotweiler called Wellard. Some of us are relatively 'normal' just because we don't have a kumbaya approach to parenting.'

not that you are generalising and stereotyping much there.

Damn that's where I've gone wrong. I should have let my ds2 play COD and then he'd be able to beat up the bullies who are tormenting him about his ginger hair at school.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
....
....
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

All together now

schilke - it's obviously all your fault he's such a 'namby pamby'. Get thee some COD at once, problem solved.

I take it your kids regularly have their lunch money taken from them by the teabagging gang

Nah, we're on cashless catering with fingerprint technology, so not an issue.

I don't have namby pamby children. I just don't have COD in the house.

You seem to like that song Pushydad. You want to join the campfire don't you

"Damn that's where I've gone wrong. I should have let my ds2 play COD and then he'd be able to beat up the bullies who are tormenting him about his ginger hair at school"

Well, if he goes up to them and says ''My mommy thinks that you have terrible parents for letting you play COD. We don't want any violent stuff in our nice household" then what do you think is going to happen to DS? :o

DS should know how to pick his fights. Saying what your mum says and thinks isn't going to help.

wow, this is taking quite a turn...so now under 10s who don't play 18 rated graphically violent video games are 'namby pamby'. Shooting people on a screen obviously sorts the real men out from the weedy hippies

I don't think my 9 YO DS (green belt at tae kwon do, represents our region in swimming) could really be described as namby pamby

right, this was fun but need to go pick up the kids and see if the teabagging is progressing to something more sinister! Toodle pip!

You seem to like that song Pushydad. You want to join the campfire don't you

I like the Joan Baez version, not so much the Bob Dylan one. I tried a spot of tree hugging once. Found it too tame. I like campfires though. Warm coat, mulled wine. Nice.

Now where were we? Oh yes, namby pamby :)

I better not mention he's vegetarian. I've seen the light - he needs a good dose of Black Ops and red meat and then he can overcome the bullies.

I don't think my 9 YO DS (green belt at tae kwon do, represents our region in swimming) could really be described as namby pamby

You don't have problems with your DC learning how to kick the shit out of another human being but you do object to him playing a game where he is combating terrorists out to detonate a nuclear bomb ?????

I apologise for calling your son namby pamby. No kid that represents his region in swimming can possibly be namby pamby.

He's vegetarian and he doesn't see the point in playing games like COD!

What have you done to the poor boy? Why don't you simply send DS to school with a T Shirt that says 'I [HEART] Opera' and be done with it.

I'm starting to come round too, I think I'll stop all these expensive and time-consuming sports activities and just let him sit at home fiddling with a joystick

I know I have ruined his life. Don't worry I've just trashed his violin and thrown out those opera t-shirts. How did you know about those Pushydad?

Spooktrain - I've decided that too. No more football and no more ferrying him round to orchestras. He might grow up to be a geeky musician like his dad. From now on it's COD all the way - he can join the army with the gaming experience he'll have developed. Can't be much harder than twiddling with a controller can it?

spooktrain - Don't do that. Do what I do. I mean, DC does orchestra, badminton, swimming and at weekends, once he finished his homework he gets to play COD. There is no need for you to make your DS into one of those anti social types that spend all their free time on the PC.

Always glad to swap parenting tips :)

I know I have ruined his life. Don't worry I've just trashed his violin and thrown out those opera t-shirts. How did you know about those Pushydad?

I just have a gift. No need to thank me.

If you don't like a particular game and don't want to buy it for your dc, then that is fine. In truth, I wouldn't buy it for a small child either. That said, I don't think it is harmful if a child happens to see it. I watched lots of highly inappropriate horror films, unbeknownst to my parents when I was a kid (at friends houses) and even though it wasn't right for me to see it and I wouldn't let my own dc watch them, it hasn't harmed me in any way. I think there is a bit of scaremongering on these threads.

What is not fine is saying that other people are bad parents, if they make a different call to you and that's what also tends to happen on these threads. People are perfectly capable of judging what's appropriate for their own dc. Equally, it's wrong to say a kid is a namby-pamby, if he doesn't have access to this stuff.

You and the DCs are just sucked in by it and you haven't stopped to think how unpleasant they are.

Actually I don't play console games. But you are right. I don't stop to think how 'unpleasant' they are because to me they are a GAME. Same for the kids. They are perfectly capable of differentiating fantasy from reality.

When I was a small child, I used to run around playing cowboys & indians and 'army'. What's the difference?

What's important is how your child reacts to it. In a balanced upbringing, playing console games isn't going to hurt them. If there was something I am more worried about is the amount of time some spend on them. There's a child in my 10yr old son's class who seems to be on it 24x7. No matter what time day or night my son logs in, his mate is already on it.

For me it's just a case of get a grip.

If computer games breed violence then why in Japan where they have such games as well as a big Manga culture is violence and crime so low? Even in the recent floods and nuclear disasters, there was absolutely NO looting. Whilst in the UK we play less games and we had riots?

Try this on for size. Actually I don't watch Saw films and other torture porn. But you are right. I don't stop to think how 'unpleasant' they are because to me they are a FILM. Same for the kids. They are perfectly capable of differentiating fantasy from reality.

Doesn't sound so good, right?

This will sort the little blighters out

Reality or not, bottom line is it's unpleasant and not something I'd want to encourage my children to do. Plenty more pleasant things MY children can spend their time doing. Totally up to you what YOUR children do.