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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want to buy my 14 yr old Dd a Ouija Board for Christmas?

75 replies

DannyOD · 23/10/2018 09:47

I am not sure why as I don’t believe in that kind of stuff but I am uneasy about buying her one. It just seems wrong. Am I being silly? It is harmless teenage fun or should I trust my gut?

OP posts:
IStandWithPosie · 23/10/2018 10:09

yet you could just tell your kids is an entirely harmless game!

Elphame · 23/10/2018 10:10

Well if you don't she'll probably do what a lot of people do - make their own out of sheets of paper and a glass.

MrsJayy · 23/10/2018 10:11

They're absolute nonsense but you could quite easily end up with dealing with a hysterical child and even worse a group of them if she invites her friends over to use it

Yeah this

Thisreallyisafarce · 23/10/2018 10:13

Plus, isn't this the sort of thing you're meant to do at midnight, with your mates, against the clear instructions of your responsible adult? 😂

Don't spoil the fun by buying it!

Blanchedupetitpois · 23/10/2018 10:15

Given that there’s no such thing as ghosts you’re hardly in danger by buying one, but if your DD is the type to get overwrought or hysterical while playing what is just a silly game, I wouldn’t.

MrsJayy · 23/10/2018 10:15

Plus, isn't this the sort of thing you're meant to do at midnight, with your mates, against the clear instructions of your responsible adult? 😂

Yeah what's this cool parent thing buying one Grin

Slappinthebass · 23/10/2018 10:22

I don't believe in ghosts or woo, but used a one twice as a teenager. One home made one genuine. Both times weird stuff happened and was pretty terrifying. I do believe now it must have been others moving it, but that didn't make me feel any better at the time. Some pretty dark stuff happened as a result of one of those nights.

shinycat · 23/10/2018 10:22

@mydarlingwhatifyoufly

I wouldn't personally. Not because it's anything other than a game, but I can imagine (if she uses it with friends) that a group of teenagers could easily wind each other up and one or more could end up really scared or upset.

This puts me in mind (a bit) of a little game a group of people played at my DH's workplace some years ago...

They all wrote 'I sell my soul to John Jones, for a pound, and he is thereafter the owner of my soul...' Then they signed the document, and he gave them a pound, and a small handwritten receipt. (It was after the episode of The Simpsons where Bart sold his soul to Milhouse and got really upset afterwards, as he realised what he had done, and he desperately tried to get it back.)

Some people were laughing at how dumb it was, and how there is no such thing as 'selling a soul' and so on...

So 'John' made up a little game where these skeptics who were mocking 'sold their souls' to him.

5 men did it. Within an hour 3 of them were asking for the piece of paper back, and offering the pound back, saying they felt uneasy and weird about it. John said 'no, your soul is mine now....' with a sly, 'evil' glare.

The one guy (Dave) started to get very upset and worked up, and John still said no. It got into a big argument and 'Dave' actually started to cry. 'John' was stunned and said 'Jesus man, just have it back, you said it was all bollocks that a soul could be sold anyway!' And he took his pound back.

During the day, all 4 of the others went to him and asked for theirs back too.

Weird, as they were all so skeptical.

As you said, even though many people are very skeptical about this kind of thing, but deep down, when they really start to think about it, many people will get freaked out.

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 23/10/2018 10:27

Another hysterical poster here saying "Nooooo".
Of course one of her friends might ask for and get one anyway.

Fundays12 · 23/10/2018 10:29

No we had to get a medium in to clear our house after a teenager used one in our home unknown to my parents. Our house which previously was lovely and calm became very scary and the room it was used in was constantly freezing and stunk. Black shadows came out of nowhere, loads of strange noises and it was terrifying so their is no way would I ever allow one in my house.

justpaintit · 23/10/2018 10:31

Definitely not. It may end up with one or more kids convinced they’re possessed by a minion of the anti-Christ. Then you will have to tell the parents of the possessed one why their child is freaked out and begging to sleep in their bed again. They will then hate you and ban their kid from hanging out with yours. Get her Twister instead. The worst that can happen is a sprained ankle or something.

FruminousBandersnatch · 23/10/2018 10:33

It’s fine, it’s just a board game. Just explain that it it’s a board game in a matter of fact voice, avoiding widening your eyes dramatically and talking about summoning spirits. I’ve used one several times, it’s just a laugh, no one died or loosed the devil.

DannyOD · 23/10/2018 10:36

So that’s decided - it’s a no from me. Like the idea of tarot cards as an alternative!! The idea came from Dd not me by the way!! She’s big into her Emo phase and has an obsession with all things otherworldly.

OP posts:
SweatyUnderboob · 23/10/2018 10:37

Don’t do it. You wouldn’t put a sign on your door saying ‘Open to one and all’, this is no different.

wombatsears · 23/10/2018 10:43

I'm a man of science and don't believe in ghosts or anything "woo", but if my kids wanted to bring one of those into the house they'd be sent off with stern warning not to meddle in things they don't understand.

HmmSurly the whole point of Science is to meddle in things that are not understood.

Pedallleur · 23/10/2018 10:50

You either believe or not. But having seen some wierd stuff happen when as a teenager some friends started playing I would say 'no'.

bevelino · 23/10/2018 11:11

I have an open mind, but don’t think the board communicates with spirits. I feel this more after watching dcs and their mates pushing the dial round to make words while at the same time saying “it wasn’t me”. They were all laughing and even I found it funny. Nothing bad has happened to anyone as a result.

IStandWithPosie · 23/10/2018 12:21

No we had to get a medium in to clear our house

Shock

I feel so sorry for some people being taken in by this shit and forking out money to scam artists.

toomanycuddlytoys · 23/10/2018 12:39

Take responsibility. Do not buy one.

WhentheRabbitsWentWild · 23/10/2018 13:28

So people saying No , or shouting , are hysterical and ridiculous ? In your opinion .

Nobody is right or wrong here but wow .

Ok , YOU know best .

florafawna · 23/10/2018 13:32

Ouija is bad juju.

JacquesHammer · 23/10/2018 13:34

Meh would you buy her Monopoly?

pinkmagic1 · 23/10/2018 13:37

Definitely not! Me and some friends made one when we were about 14 and used to use it regularly. I wouldn't touch one now and wouldn't feel comfortable having one in my home.

selfidentifyinggiraffe · 23/10/2018 13:47

I don't think they're harmful themselves

I do think they have a more psychologically harmful impact than monopoly on teenagers

So no I wouldn't buy one.

I also quite enjoy tarot cards but I wouldn't give them to a teen for the same reason. Angel cards on the other hand are similar but there's no nasty death cards for them to wind themselves up with etc - all positive

Witchofwisteria · 23/10/2018 14:02

Its a bit mature, plus if she does it and feels like shes being haunted she is likely to have trouble sleeping and be very unsettled. When I was about 14 a group of friends and I made one from cardboard and went into a supposedly haunted bit of woods to try it. We got there as it was starting to get dark and chickened out of the whole thing!