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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not allow dd 2.8 to "play" on wii?

57 replies

MissWooWoo · 26/01/2010 10:31

dp's sister is moving in for 4-6 weeks while she waits to complete on her flat.

She is very gadget orientated and had a wii - no doubt this will be hooked up in the living room as sure that dp will want to "have a go". I'm fine about this for evening when dd is in bed but I do not want it played at the weekend whilst she is around. I just don't want her "having a go" at such a young age and I know she'll want to as she always shows great interest in dp's siters i-phone when she plays games on it when she comes round (which I hate)

Am I being unreasonable to set some ground rules for dp's sister and say no wii when dd is up and about?

OP posts:
FlamingoBingo · 26/01/2010 10:32

YABU - what on earth do you think will happen to your DD if she plays on the wii?

FWIW, if she's anything like my 3yo, she won't be able to do any of the things on it and will not be that interested in it.

Poledra · 26/01/2010 10:33

Your house, your rules. Make sure DP is happy with it too, though, as there's no point in you unilaterally deciding what's going to happen.

Personally, as it's only for a short period of time, I wouldn't be too fussed about DD having a shot, but that's a decision you and DP need to make about parenting your child.

bellavita · 26/01/2010 10:33

Oh ffs

chandellina · 26/01/2010 10:35

why not ask her to live without the wii for the time she's with you and enjoy each other's company instead?

stealthsquiggle · 26/01/2010 10:36

[bbiscuit]

She will not be able to do it, but if she is anything like my DD she will work out that if you are given the spare controller to keep you out of the way while someone else plays a single-player game, you can cause havoc by turning it on and off, thereby turning the wii off

stealthsquiggle · 26/01/2010 10:37

why didn't the burns one work?

Portofino · 26/01/2010 10:38

It's the way of the future. Our dcs are growing up with this technology. FWIW, I doubt she'd be able to do much at 2.8 anyway. I'm 41 and I have trouble!

DD (5.10) loves the Wii, and the iPod touch and the PC. Her abilities astound me, especially when I think none of these things were even dreamt of when i was that age.

FlamingoBingo · 26/01/2010 10:41

Stealth.

You should see my 3yo doing sword fighting. It's the only thing she can do and she screws her face up and swings the remote back and forth really furiously. The funniest thing is when she notices someone doing something next to her and she looks up at them while still swinging the remote wildly, then we remind her to look at what she's doing and she turns back to the screen and screws her face up in concentration again.

It even works sometimes and she jumps up and down shouting 'me win, me win - you fall in water, Mummy!' Then she gets bored and goes to do something else.

She's got a peppa pig game on it but she's truly crap at directing the hand at anything on the screen.

Alambil · 26/01/2010 10:44

It's not likely to harm her.

Let her have fun - she'll be using a PC on the internet at nursery, soon enough (yes, it's on the national curriculum for EYFs)

ToccataAndFudge · 26/01/2010 10:45

oh I don't know about them not being able to do much - DS3 won't be 3 until the end of May - but he can get round a Mario Kart track (albeit very slowly) and can do the running and swimming (again very slowly - but gets there none the less) on M&S @ the Olympics

FlamingoBingo · 26/01/2010 10:47

Ooh, hadn't thought of getting her on mariokart! It's the things where you have to point the remote at the screen that she's rubbish at.

WhoIsAsking · 26/01/2010 10:47

Why?

Hulababy · 26/01/2010 10:48

It is up to you. Your house, your rules and all that.

But I am not what harm you think will come to your LO from using a Wii a few times for a month.

What is it with all the anti technology threads at the moment?

stealthsquiggle · 26/01/2010 10:48

I think it may be because DD is always trying to keep up with DS (7) that she can't do it - I tend to leave them to it, TBH - maybe I should get DS to try giving her the steering wheel for mario kart and see how she gets on.

ToccataAndFudge · 26/01/2010 10:49

DS3 can also (Sort of) use a PS2 controller as well (his brothers are big gamers - when I let them on it) so he likes to copy them and join in - and they've had no option but to teach him how to do it

only problem is that he hasn't quite worked he has to keep his finger on the X button to keep moving forward lol

FlamingoBingo · 26/01/2010 10:51

I know someone who was horrified when I suggested he let his DS who was reluctant to write use Word for at least getting interested in it. He said 'we dont' want him gettin gused to computers just yet'. However, this boy spent a huge amount of time watching DVDs .

Personally I think interactive technology is wonderful for children and essential that they learn how to use it.

TheInvisibleManDidIt · 26/01/2010 10:53

As others have said your house/ your child- your rules.

Personally think it won't harm her though. My wee neice was 'playing' bowling on ours when she was about 2 1/2. She's nearly 4 now and thrashed me at golf last week!

ToccataAndFudge · 26/01/2010 10:54

Flamingo - I had just started to do my Scottish Highers when they started to allow coursework to be done on the computer and sent in printed - it was my life saver I actually got my coursework done and did pretty well with it.

I always hated (hand)writing with a passion (still do now). Indeed if I couldn't do my TMA's for my OU on the computer then I probably wouldn't have decided to start doing a degree with them.........

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 26/01/2010 10:57

I don't think it would do any harm.
My ds is and plays on it sometimes, god he burns up a lod of energy boxing on Wii sports as he needs his whole body do get punching

Original poster
MissWooWoo · 26/01/2010 11:11

hmm, I know she won't be able to do much on it but I don't want her to get into the habit constantly wanting to play it .... and yes this is where you step in and parent and say "no" but why set yourself up for grief if the situation can just be avoided?

she's 2 not 12, she doesn't need to play on a wii to have fun, esp when her aunty is here and they could play with her toys together!

OP posts:
ToccataAndFudge · 26/01/2010 11:17

they could play on the wii together - it's still a toy you know .

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 26/01/2010 11:48

The thing is though it is only going to be in the house for a few weeks why not let her have some fun with her auntie then when auntie goes problem over Wii is gone.

The wii is also not like other consoles in that there is a lot of games that get you up off your bottom and moving around and they can be great for for everyone.

EssenceOfJack · 26/01/2010 12:06

You house but you are being terribly precious.

DD1 loves to play golf on DH's xbox and has done since she was 2.5, and both DD's play on the laptop, as long as she isn't playing it all day then it's not going to kill her.
This is only the start, our kids are the digital generation.

TheArmadillo · 26/01/2010 12:10

It's a computer, not crack cocaine.

It's not like she's going to get addicted.

Short attention span means even if she does want to play on it it won't be for very long.

What is it with all this anti-technology stuff atm?

Playing with wooden toys as opposed to a computer/consule whatever doesn't make the child
a) brighter
b) better behaved
c) a better/more moral person in the long term.

Weird form of mass hysteria

ToccataAndFudge · 26/01/2010 12:13

lol Armadillo - I read your post and the first thing I thought is that I've discovered that wooden and plastic toys are statistically more likely to be used to cause injury or damage than a wii remote