To Ground my 10 year old?

[pinkoneblueone]

He's off to senior school this September and we've gradually been letting him out to play over at his friends or in our street. He was supposed to be calling on one friend last night to go to play at their house when hubby went to get him at for tea he wasn't there he was at another friends playing a game that was of a higher age rating. This morning he badgered me to get up and out of bed as he wanted to go to his friends I told him he wasn't to go in i've just popped my head out to check on him and he's gone in...to play computer games i'm just about to march over and get him BUT i wanna be clear on the best punishment and what can i do to stop him playing games that are too old for him at other peoples houses as it seems its a regular occurrence and he can't wait to try and get out sometimes! It drives me nuts, i do need to let him grow and kids will be kids but he keeps breaking our family rules so short of stopping him going out all together what can i do? I await a slating for letting him out at that age but he is one of the oldest to be let out round here.

Why the fuck would anyone slate you for letting a ten year old out to play?

I think there are two issues here...the disobedience and then the computer games. Neither are ok if you are to trust him playing outside.

I would ground him and make it 100% clear that he has to earn your trust back, if he's to be given that sort of independence again.

I would not slate you for letting him out at that age at all, although I am sure someone will come along in a minute and do so! Some people do not let their kids out alone until they go to uni.

This is a really really tricky one as you cannot control what games he plays at other people's houses....

Are they 18 games?

I have seen them being slated on here in the past for it.

The games vary in age each time tbh but he's terrible for lying and changing things to suit himself. He was not allowed computer here for last nights antics but now he's totally blown it! Not happy at all so thats put the scrappers on us going out today :/

It's a big stage when you let them out, they might get exposed to behaviour options you don't like. Muslim parents worry about non-Halal food & JW parents worry about Harry Potter, I suppose OP is worrying about GTA5. If not at the neighbour's home, he's going to encounter similar undesirables wherever he goes.

You have to hope you've A) taught them to say no when they should; B) that they will learn from their mistakes when they don't follow A).

If you aren't ready to take the risks and let him take risks, then maybe keep him in until August.

What was the game?

Being a keen gamer myself, i don't trust ratings. I think GTA is very bad taste, but Assassins creed is beautiful and very educational. Yet both are rated 18.

The game yesterday was Saints Row 4 which i've just looked up and is an 18.

I've grounded him and told him he's not allowed into that friends house again as there is obviously very loose parenting over there.

Its really really difficult knowing whats the right decision here as i know that now he'll go out of his way to play games that are not suitable as he can get away with it at 3 of his friends houses. We let him have computer time and then when i say we are going out some where i get a massive strop from him saying that i never let him play with his friends but it seems that when i do let him go play with them this sort of thing happens. Feel like i'm banging my head off a brick wall sometimes.

I wouldn't be happy if my DS had went against me like this either. Thankfully he is only 17 months at the minute but DD is nearly 7 and plays out on the street with the other kids and friends from school, thankfully they don't go in each other's houses they either play out in the cul de sac or go to the park (just a small village)

10 is way way too young for 18 games! OH is a gamer and had black ops and gta but doesn't play them in front of kids, I've played all assassins creed again not in front of kids and they ALL 18 for a reason, assassins creed has too much blood, violence, fighting and swearing for someone of 10!

exactly!

We've said he's not allowed back in the boys house, to be told that the game has now been snapped in 1/2 (yeah right!) and that he has no other games that are an 18. He's been begging to stay over at the boys house and has been told no. Thankfully we can't have the boy stay over at ours tonight as we've got no pump for our air bed atm. I suspect that its so the buys mum can go out for the evening. i'm not painting our street as very nice but its not the worst area we've ever lived in.