to think it sad that such young children are being bought such grown-up presents?

[allIWannaBeForChristmas]

partly brought on by the other thread, but have heard from so many people who are buying their 4/5/6 yo's games consoles/televisions/dvd players and even know of one who has bought her 7 yo a mobile phone.

am I the only one that thinks this is wrong?

Did anyone else invest in a poncetastic Aquila sub for their 7/8 plussers?
Same price as a DS game...

Note to self - syop making stupid flippant posts where irony is not obvious. Sorry to those I offended

Marina, friends of ours were trying unsuccessfully to Google the Silvalians that their dd kept requesting

Message withdrawn

dd is 3.5 and ds is 5. Have no interest whatsoever in computer or videogames. They can remain ignorant of those for as long as they feel like.

I agree EniDeepMidwinter - a child would not be at a disadvantage academically or in terms of career if they didn't play computer games from a very young age!

I love retro games too - hence my geeky name

Message withdrawn

mmmm - you are not being unreasonable to think its sad - that is just your opinion, and you're very much intitled to it

However ...

A games console does not mean the end of the civilised world as we know it! It is (imho) the job of the parents to limit the amount of time spent on the consoles and to also provide other stimulating toys such as the fabulous lego

Everything in moderation ...

I do have a problem with my children being bought things which i know are too old for them though, for example, my 7yo dd wants a mobile phone ...is she getting one?
NO!!
Why?
Because i know that
a) she is not responsible enough for it.
b) she won't use it after the first week therefore i can't justify the expense of it.
...and c) i have read articles questioning the safety of young growing brains and mobile phones! So a mobile phone is most definitely out!

My 9yo neice and 7yo nephew will be getting one off their parents though, but hey, each to their own ...

I have brought my ds2 (7.5yrs old)a ds for christmas, as that was the only thing he has been asking for since last chrimbo! however we have already agreed that if Sants brings one he will only be allowed on it after he has done homework, played outside etc first, my eldest (ds 9yrs) has no interest in technology and when asked if he wanted one said no i'd love playmobil! all kids are different and I don't think that they are ruined by technology as long as its used within reason, and not instead of adult interaction, we didn't have a tv in our house until I was 15, I spent my childhood running around fields and am now overweight, so I think that excuse is a cop out for parents that feed their kids junk and leave them infront of the tv! sorry rant over!

the difference between allowing him to play on a ds (occasionally) and have one of his own is similar to allowing him to watch tv and having a tv in his bedroom.

nothing wrong with a bit of access to this technology, but I could buy him a ds and some games and it would set me back 200 quid and there would be no toys as well, or I could buy him the toys he still plays with and allow him to play occasionally on my dh's ds, so it is a treat rather than a right iyswim.

sorry nineunlovelychristmasd.... (gosh thats long)

No longer offended

also, when you look at the age suitability of a ds it says "age suitability - 8 years". so...

I agree with you marybleedding poppins

I think the osts that say

I would never buy my child something like that for they will become obese and withdrawn are just so smug and......out of touch I reckon

Fgs, get with the program, not everything has to educational and kids can own or use a console without being condemned to a life of working at burger king and being fat and thick.

Learn to say 'No' to your kids, limit the time on them, play with them, have fun and let them ALSO enjoy all the other m,illion of things that they like to do that are active and educational.

I agree with the OP as I Have deliberatley avoided buy ds a consule of his own. We do however have a family Plastations and I have my own nintendo ds. Ds has shown that he will play for no more than an hour on these and does not strop/carry on when asked to stop. Because of this and the fact he is nearly 8 we have bought him his own nintendo ds for xmas. This means he can link up to his friends consoles and mine. Most of the time on the playstation he is playing a 2 player game as well.

DP and I however will not get him a computer or tv/dvd etc for his own bedroom and we do not have one in ours as the TV is a family thing. I think too many kids lose social skills by isolating themselves in their rooms with computers and tv etc. When ds is older i am sure he will have a laptop, but it is to be used in family areas.

I have friends who have bought nintendos for their their 3 year olds. Each to their own i say, but personally my ds has had loads of fun with proper toys (especially the playmobil/lego etc).

I agree
I really don't like computer games (well actually I am ignorant of them hence I don't like them)

I have bought my 5yo dd a digital camera. She nicks mine (or my phone) all the time and she actually has a very good eye and loves taking photos so I figured that was better than a pile of shite that she would play with once.

Time will tell

Oh I tell a lie
I once played some game, on what sort of game thingy I have no idea but it was on the tv. I spent about 15 mins trying to find a penguin (I think) with my mate saying ooh try in there, climb that ladder, etc.

After 15 mins I just thought OMG I am wasting my LIFE looking for a penguin on the telly

never again

Oh I agree with you Trinity - I did say I think 4 is a bit young for such gifts but didn't say I'd never give a DS or telly to my offspring . Parents are in charge and should know when to say enough's enough. A bit of balance is key.

Apart from that, a lot of toys marketed as being educational are far from that IMO

My daughter's favourite waste of time on her nintendo DS is playing sudoku, and the whole brain training game in general.

She's quite competitive anyway and she keeps trying to beat other people's brain ages.

That's quite a grown-up present isn't it CD. I've bought ds1 a digital camera too - he's 10. I don't know. He'd have liked it when he was 5 though.

I think perhaps they don't make the distinction we do between what's grown-up and what's a toy. A digital camera is a toy to them, but not to us.

[scratches head]

I don't know. We have a Wii - I like playing it, it's quite sociable.

My dd is 6. I've bought her a toy hotpoint cooker and a set of saucepans! I think this is normally bought for 2/3 y-olds. But I know she wants it, and I know she'll play with it. Hmmm.

well I did think that 100x

but then I thought actually it is very creative
I love photography and I was into it at a very young age as my father was also

the reason i said about kids losing social skills was because when i was working in the community as a CPN we had several cases of youngsters who were too frightened to leave home, couldnt socialise with anyone and spent their time playing online games.. 24/7.

Also my dp had his own computer and tv in his room and he belivesit has hindered his social skills too.

Just wanted to point that out, I am not being smug, just explaining why i dont want the same for ds. Yes it is about parenting and that is why we have left it till this year for his to have his own console.

oh and I havent bought loads of edcuation games.. just ones that are fun and often multiplayer so it is social.