AIBU to not want to buy a £125 football for DS (7)

[FlirtyKirti]

DS is 7 and is completely obsessed with football. He has written a list for Father Christmas with only one thing on it - a Nike Premier League ball. I was gobsmacked to discover it cost £125: m.jdsports.co.uk/product/yellow-nike-english-premier-league-202122-flight-football/16235109/?cm_mmc=googleshop--google--shopping-_-pla&istCompanyId=9c5cf6f7-3142-4f9f-be57-2fce9c67adfd&istFeedId=014e8b49-620d-4e56-9e87-79529c403af2&istItemId=ppatqxrxm&istBid=tzwt&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7oyNBhDiARIsADtGRZaReDhs_fuuUhcaeS4lSxt3_TUb5GOBEv1euWaeea_5zd6U4p5B868aAjZvEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I don’t want to spend so much on something that is likely to get lost/kicked over a fence/punctured by a dog’s teeth, and I would worry taking something like that to a park could make him a target for thieves.

But… he is going through a tough time. His grandfather who he is very close to is dying of cancer and it is the only thing he wants, while his brother has copied out most of the Ninjago sets in the Lego catalogue on his list. I wouldn’t balk at spending that much on Lego if he’d wanted a big set as his main present. What should I do? I don’t want him to be spoilt but I also want him to be happy during what might otherwise be a rather bleak Christmas.

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit

I always find this phenomenon quite odd

Surely EVERYONE has a childhood memory of being bought the wrong item, or a cheap pale imitation and feeling gutted and being polite and pretending gratitude?

Its an expensive ball, yes. It's also his only item. And it should be his to do as he likes with because its HIS Ball and if it is stolen, punctured or lost because of his carelessness, then its a real important life lesson.

If the worst DOESN'T happen; You've got one delighted child thinking he's DEFINITELY headed to the Premier League now.

Priceless

Real people don't have 125 quid to spaff on life lessons. If the kid is such an ungrateful, insufferable brat he'll be eternally traumatized by a poor people's football, then he can earn the money doing chores.

Christmas isn't an excuse for kids who have no common sense to demand extortionate wasteful tat.

@Idony Op can just say no, no need to dump your own vitriol on this thread

OP maybe try to sway him with the cheaper priced ball? Think about it this way, for 125 quid he could get the cheaper ball plus some other football themed stuff

OP has said she has that amount to spend and would spend it on another gift

@Idony you just sound bitter. Asking for something is hardly "demanding."

I'd buy it, if it's all he asked for.

Point two is that I don't get people who say "I just couldn't" when its buying a gift for someone who REALLY wants the gift and affording it is not an issue....buyer I hate to tell you but this is not about you.

I disagree. Both parties are involved in a present, the giver and the receiver. I don't have to give something to someone just because they ask and I can afford it. That's actually not how presents work.

@KrispyKale

SSD that's interesting. Even at 7? My boys went through a lot of footballs. I found really cheap ones can be a false economy. But at 7 they really weren't able to keep anything five minutes.

Probably nearer 10 or 11 actually

@FlirtyKirti it's because it's the flight version - they are made of different material and 30% lighter.

The match ball is the exact same pattern so unless he specifically wants the flight version he really won't know the difference, at 7 I expect it is the design that's caught his eye rather than the technicalities of the ball.

My football obsessed 13 year old tells me the flight version are designed for professionals and specifically made to be more accurate when applying spin or other tricks, so I really don't think this would be of use to a 7 year old!

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit - the mister frosty........I still hold a grudge. And a real etch a sketch.............🤣

@SD1978 Disneys The Little Mermaid not a cheap copy that is faithful to the original ending 😭

I looked at that ball, its lovely fortunately I came across it before DS. I couldn't justify paying that much, so we're getting this one www.sportsdirect.com/nike-strike-premier-league-football-828004?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=10653976045&cq_term=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7oyNBhDiARIsADtGRZbhxk692LwXRA-XKoaObDHWXANBTQrSLAEyP2k_xZud-IrWv55_A58aAnU5EALw_wcB#colcode=82800430

@EineReiseDurchDieZeit - yeah- that would have been upsetting- very different endings 🤣 I also still have nightmares over the 2 stripe instead of three strip tracksuit bottoms, and poundstretcher shell suit instead of branded 🤣

Thank you to the poster who recommended the £80 Argos version of the barbie house I have ordered it

125pounds... for a football
No way!
Go find a replica. Or a second hand one
Or just something else

You know how kids are with balls. They kick it over the fence. They lose it. Etc. He wouldn't know how much it costs maybe. But he is old enough to understand so maybe just talk with him that you simply can't afford it /justify buying it . Xx

@Thatsplentyjack

Why would you buy lego but not a ball?

She’s sort of explained that and plenty of pp’s have elaborated.

Lego will be built into a set at home. It will be enjoyed and played with, and when it’s done can be packed back into the box and resold/passed on to younger siblings or friends.

A football (as op mentions has happened countless other times with her son’s footballs in the past) is likely to be taken out of the house, and possibly lost/kicked over a fence/punctured by a dog/deflated. And that’s without the risk of a seven year old playing with an expensive football outside where it could be stolen.

A BALL for that much money? No no no. Money that just sails over the fence. Money that rolls away. Money that the first bully that walks by can take in one second. I think that is a recipe for sadness.

Here's what I'd do... I'd have a conversation with him about it. Explain that a ball at that price is a collector's piece rather than for a daily kick about. Be honest with him. Tell him if he really wants THAT specific ball at that price, then it's something to display and keep rather than play with. Don't say it's not worth getting because he's a kid and because he'll lose it or that he's not "grown up" enough to have it. He'll just hear that HE isn't worth it. Explain that it would be horrible for him to get such a special ball and for someone else to steal it or damage it - invite him to think about what that would feel like. Then suggest either a more affordable alternative replica that he can take out and enjoy playing with, or he gets the expensive one but it's not for playing with - possibly he also gets a cheap normal one for playing with - and also point out that he won't get much else. Present the options to him so he can make an informed decision. Suggest he goes off and thinks about it. If nothing else it demonstrates the process of thinking through things carefully and weighing up pros and cons. He's only 7 but it's never a wasted exercise

Sounds like a perfect solution - if he understands what he is asking for, and the consequences of wanting this ball (can't play with it, can only display it, not much else for Christmas), then the OP will be able to judge how much he wants THAT ball, or just a decent ball he can play with.

@Marianne1234

Thank you to the poster who recommended the £80 Argos version of the barbie house I have ordered it

You're welcome. Hope your DD loves it