DS(16) spends £70 a week on renting movies. AIBU to ban him from the Sky store?

[Aggys]

Hello,

Our son is 16 and has a part-time job in McDonald's (the idea is to help him save for day to day stuff). He earns £100 a week. He usually (on average as obviously at weekends more and a busy day none) 2 movies a day. They're from the sky store.

He knows he can get them for free on his laptop but he says he wants them on the TV and just shrugs when we say it's costing him a fortune. I'm sure he's almost seen every one but then they add more!

I feel awful that he's wasting so much on this and really think I should put a ban on it? AIBU?

Thanks the chrome thing sounds very good.

We have Netflix but he's seen everything on there (even I was a bit surprised I used to think it had everything )

The cinema membership also wouldn't work for him as most of the films he watches have been and gone.

He's pretty good, never complains he has no money which is why I've always been a bit unsure on what I can do apart from change the code and that's why I was asking here if it's reasonable to finally do that

Wow that’s expensive. Our monthly movie pass was only £10 for unlimited films. Can you get him something like Amazon Prime or Now TV and let him watch films through that?

In the meantime, put a PIN on the TV so he at least has to ask before he watches.

Bit harsh @waterrat hasn't been taught? Ok

what do you mean by he can get it for free on his laptop.....

do you mean through netflix or pirating?

I'm not to sure. I know you can google watch X online and they usually come up. I've done it before

How on earth does he manage to spend enough time working to earn that amount, PLUS watch so many movies, PLUS do all his school work? Is he in Yr 11?

@Villainelle You can, as long as it's google compatible i.e. not Amazon Prime Video I don't actually watch tv anymore, I use my CC to watch things on catch up when I have free time remembers to cancel TalkTalk TV subscription

thats likely to be pirating then (which is illegal btw)

theres not much they can do to stop you. but stealing something online has the same moral fibres as stealing a dvd from hmv

I'd expect him to save half of what he earns while he is still at school. He will need it more in a couple of years.

He's in year 12. Works 3 shifts a week, in the evenings. Surprisingly, he still has plenty of free time.

NOW cinema is pretty good value- although it’s owned by Sky, so if he’s already done most of the Sky on-demand big releases it won’t be of much interest to him unless he takes a break for a couple of months for the content to catch up.

My parents insisted I saved a proportion of my earnings when I started with Saturday and holiday jobs. Came in very handy when I needed rental deposit for my first flat - and stopped me blowing every penny of my earnings on 'stuff'.

I’d be thankful that you’re not being asked to sub him for cash.

Then I’d have a talk to him about what he could afford with that money if he wasn’t throwing it away on films.

But ultimately it’s his money which he’s earned legitimately. Is it a waste? Absolutely, but he has to discover that for himself.

And ultimately if he has no sense where money’s concerned he’s still not likely to spend the money sensibly just because you block the sky store, he’ll likely find something else to spend it on which you might not approve of.

If he's paying for it himself then there's not much you can do. Or should do. He'll be old with responsibilities soon enough.

Send him round charity shops buying up old DVDs to watch, they will be c50p/£1 each and when he's done with them he can either sell them or donate them back. Even new ones in Sainsbury once the film is out of date is only around £3 and would work out cheaper as he can sell them on.

Plus all the wandering around will use up his time and he won't need to watch as many.

I would probably say to save some each month and I guess with the rest it is no worse than buying clothes or going to the nightclub that I used to do when I was younger. I frittered loads on wasteful stuff like that. DS used to spend his wages in Hollister, not much different really

Is he in school? How does he have time to watch this much tv, have a part time job and study???

When they are in year 12 they don’t go to school/college for a full week though, DS used to work about 20 hours a week and still had lots of leisure time,

Buying 2 movies a day, everyday, he must be watching a load of rubbish movies. Sky Store normally has 1 blockbuster movie a week don’t they?

Surely got to be a better collection on Netflix and Amazon Video. Both of the subscriptions less than what he’s paying each week

Lightasabreeze things have really changed since my day!! School was 9 to 3:30 everyday and homework and studying was intense. - four or five hours a night.

I had a part time job and looking back it wad too much - I would not have had time to watch this much tv. I barely had time to cover all the work for school.

Just change the pin for Sky.

All of the above!

You also need to introduce the idea of 'saving' to him, by the sound of it. Along with contributing to the household as in 'taking some responsibility'!

Dollymixture22, what you describe was how year 11 (GCSEs) was for DS, though I am not sure he studied for 4-5 hrs a night. When he was doing A levels he wasn't there all week and not much studying was done apart from the run up to exams, OP's DS must be doing A levels or a college course if he is year 12.

Surely it’s his money to do as he pleases as he’s earnt it?
Just don’t give him anymore when it’s run out.

If he's got enough money to piss £70 a week up the wall, plus what 4 hours a day, you'll be doing him a favour taking half that off him frankly.

If he quits the job and spends the time studying then obviously don't charge him.