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Behaviour/development

To think there is a lot of crap parenting around??

65 replies

Flowerpower41 · 03/10/2015 05:08

I am trying my best to bring up ds as properly as possible as a working single parent with no family support and a rather unsavoury ex. Naturally I have had to enlist the help of childcare. I have noticed that Xbox games which aren't appropriate for ds's age adversely affect him. However I have tried to help him fit in since it would appear that the vast majority of parents allow their children to play whatever game and at whatever age they fancy. I have limited them to weekend use in moderation only. I appear to be the odd one out here? The childminder questions my parenting all the time, why do I not give him much diet coke, why does he not eat many sweets, why does he not watch 18 plus games (when he is 10!) - since I have found it to totally adversely affect his behaviour. Ds is a highly sensitive child and easily led and has always been a handful. She is very generous and will think nothing of buying him on ocasions an enormous bag of sweets and when he comes home that evening he is feeling full and ill and cannot eat a healthy meal whatsoever. I have instructed ds to merely eat half a packet. I do wish ds to have a normal childhood after all and I was given sweets and occasional junk food too. However this was only in moderation.

In addition I have tried to recently encourage him to learn to clean the home. All good life skills you would think yes? I was brought up this way too. Apparently nobody else at school is learning to clean the bathroom and I am not popular with ds for teaching this. Is this true? Do parents not teach their boys to clean the home. Is this just the domain of girls? Are we still living in the dark ages?

A friend of mine with a phd and a really excellent salary has had 3 children and has not taught any of them to use the washing machine before they left home. Is she not bringing up unfit children? I was taught so many life skills as an only child I was brought up nicely and to learn manners and respect. Those days were better in my opinion. Nowadays all we get is behavioural problems with too much use of gadgets, too much junk food being available and pressure to give treats to our children and children leaving home unable to fend for themselves.

Ds's best friend learns to clean their house so I know they are decent parents. Do they just wish to perpetuate sexism and another incompetent male who is useless in a relationship and useless living on his own?

A [platonic man friend in the neighbourhood has a son in his thirties who is incapable of cooking and cleaning. I blame the parenting myself there is no excuse. My 61 year old friend will still do all his ironing for him as he is unemployed and has time. HE has taught him no life skills at all.

Am I the only normal parent left on the planet I feel in the minority here!

Other parents are putting their 10 year olds to bed at 11 pm at night on a SCHOOL DAY FFS!

Please give me feedback ladies tell me I am a fine parent and I am surrounded by more crap ones than good ones......!!

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Crazypetlady · 04/10/2015 09:26

Some games that are age rated like skateboarding ones aren't too bad I think it may be rated for mild swearing so it can be easily muted, parents can judge what's appropriate.That being said a parent letting their 10 year old on gta is a parent needing some classes.

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BoboChic · 04/10/2015 07:37

I believe that as long as someone can cook/clean/catch a train or whatever by the time they need to (leaving home, travelling to secondary etc) then it doesn't make much odds imo whether they master it 2 days before or 2 years before.

Indeed. Life throws up new challenges, big and small, every day. The most important skill to have inculcated in your DC is the self-belief that they will be able to rise to those challenges as they occur. It's important to try to give your DC a good tool kit but it is naive to pretend that it will be in any way complete.

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AndNowItsSeven · 04/10/2015 02:06

Do you need some immac op?

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mathanxiety · 04/10/2015 02:00

No such thing as 18+ games in moderation for a 10 yo.

You let him do this because others let their DCs, yet you call him 'easily led'?
'Easily led' does in fact come from watching a parent's example and discerning their priorities. Children see everything and they know when you have not fully thought out your stance. Have you thought about anything at all beyond the level of the parroted phrase 'Everything in moderation'?

Do you actually have any principles or inner convictions at all, or are you so overwhelmed by his naice school that you think he should fit in at any cost?
Are your reference points all based on status with nothing at all to do with what is good for your child? Seemingly your decision making wrt the CM was all to do with price and nothing to do with quality or what was in your child's best interests.

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Hereisnownotthen · 03/10/2015 19:43

Not read thread but I agree about teaching kids how to do domestic stuff/ cooking. I never had to do anything at home and was utterly lost when I left home. Didn't even realise one was meant to change bed sheets, let alone know how to make a bed. Lived off cabbage in bottled pasta sauce as couldn't cook.
Don't want my kids to be so helpless. Plus I want them to be my free cleaning/ cooking service till they leave home : )

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cuntycowfacemonkey · 03/10/2015 19:34

Fairly certain Ed Psych's don't hand out labels. Labels are little sticky things you attach to objects that tells you what they are. TBH OP you sound full of shit and need to focus your attention on your own parenting rather than judging others.

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FiveGoMadInDorset · 03/10/2015 19:31

If the computer games are effecting his behaviour then why on earth are you allowing him to play them. A tad hypocritical me thinks.

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TeenAndTween · 03/10/2015 19:22

Well personally I don't believe in 'everything in moderation' if it leads to 10yos playing 18 games.

But what I have learned from MN is that many parents are apparently happy for children to watch/play over-age films/games.

I have also learned that the responsibilities/freedoms that MN parents think are appropriate for their children, particularly from ages 9-14 vary wildly. And generally those that do these later are berated asking 'how will they cope when they are an adult?'
I believe that as long as someone can cook/clean/catch a train or whatever by the time they need to (leaving home, travelling to secondary etc) then it doesn't make much odds imo whether they master it 2 days before or 2 years before.

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Eva50 · 03/10/2015 17:38

You're sending him to a shit childminder even though you know she's shit and letting a 10 year old play 18 games and you are criticising other people's parenting? Hmm ok.

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rookiemere · 03/10/2015 13:17

I'm a bit confused OP - you let your DS go to a less than satisfactory CM, you let him play 18 games ( but only at the weekend so that's alright then Hmm) but somehow because you force him to wipe round the bog occasionally you're a better parent than others?

Everyone is just doing the best they can surely ? Or should i say the majority of parents are - you should save your real judging for those who can't/won't prioritise feeding, cleaning and clothing their DC,or emotionally or physically abuse them.

DS sometimes plays a certain 18 game - not the one involving setting fire to prostitutes, but the one where he kills zombies. It's not really how I'd pictured my 9 yr old DS spending his time but a) DH won't back me up in it and b) the less I mention it the less he plays it and c) I haven't known any change in his behaviour when he does play it.

If it matters to you then you're the parent. You tell him to stop playing it and/or remove it from the house. Yes that means that he won't be able to play those games with his friends but if he's like DS then they play a range of stuff and it's mostly FIFA or Minecraft. Or you keep on the way you are and you own your own decision rather than blaming other people's parents.

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Marshy · 03/10/2015 09:01

Your reasoning is all over the place op.

Sort yourself out before criticising other. Changing the cm and binning the adult rated games would be a good start Hmm

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Frusso · 03/10/2015 08:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gamerwidow · 03/10/2015 08:55

You need a new cm. My cm doesn't even let the dc watch tv let alone play unsuitable games. No cm worth their sort would.
Be confident in your own rules and stop caring about how other people parent their Dc. Fwiw all DC say their parents rules are unfair and 'so and so's dm lets them do X' doesn't mean it's true.

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Neddyteddy · 03/10/2015 08:52

Would you also let him watch an 18 rated film?

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Neddyteddy · 03/10/2015 08:51

Allowing a 10 year old to play 18 rated games is utterly crap parenting in my eyes

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Badders123 · 03/10/2015 08:50

Oh well.
As long as he is only killing prostitiutes and hacking people to death a bit at the weekend than that's ok

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Badders123 · 03/10/2015 08:49

Would you let him watch an 18 rated film? Because they use the same rating system.
There was a panorama programme about the effect on kids of these violent games. Very disturbing to watch.

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Badders123 · 03/10/2015 08:48

You are letting your son play 18 rated games = shit parenting.
You leave him with an unqualified rubbish Cm = shit parenting
Making him load the dishwasher will not help those 2 fairly major issues.

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Flowerpower41 · 03/10/2015 08:35

I never meant to imply that income has any reflection on crap parenting.

A small bit of junk does not adversely affect ds.

Nor does a small bit of age 18 games at the weekend.

Everything in moderation.

No parent would wish a label on their child as I have heard it can adversely affect them in life if they are labelled and I don't want that. Having said that lots of support is out there if they ARE labelled depending on severity and I in no way would imply it is the fault of the family/parents concerned.

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Goingtobeawesome · 03/10/2015 08:23

Letting him play an 18 game because his mates do is ridiculous. You're letting other children tell you how to parent your child.

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TheWoodenSpoonOfMischief · 03/10/2015 08:16

If it adversely affects your ds behaviour then surely the best thing for him is to stop it altogether and talk to him why you've done that?

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Badders123 · 03/10/2015 08:14

Bad parenting = leaving your son with an unqualified and shit childminder.
No idea why you seem to think a "label" is a bad thing if it would help your son?
What an odd thread.....

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belindarose · 03/10/2015 08:14

So you think it only adversely affects his behaviour at the weekend?

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Mehitabel6 · 03/10/2015 08:14

Income has nothing to do with crap parenting.

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Flowerpower41 · 03/10/2015 08:11

I only allow age 18 and only 2 of them limited use weekends only. No use of Xbox until Thursdays as adversely affects ds's behaviour.

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