Is this mural too childish for a 9 year-old?

[PAVolunteer]

We got this lovely mural in our playroom when DS was a toddler. He's 9 now and I am starting to think that his friends might consider it a bit babyish when they come over to play Mario Kart and Roblox.

It's good quality thick paper with a slightly rough texture which means, ironically, that it would be very easy to paint over. But I also feel it would slightly break my heart!

What you you think?

I think it's fine for a playroom. Unless you are planning to redecorate anyway, I'd leave it.
Has you DS commented on it?

I don't think primary age kids would find it babyish, maybe once he goes to high school.

But it's really up to your son. If he's asked you to paint over it and you can then I would. If he's fine with it then leave it. What I wouldn't do is put the idea in his head that it's babyish. Let his friends do that or let him get there himself. Don't inadvertently become the bully you fear your son will meet!

Keep it. Visiting kids aren’t going to care about the decor in your house.

You're spot on @NuffSaidSam - I haven't said a word to him about it for that exact reason.

What got me thinking is that we just removed some brightly-coloured foam flooring that was past its best and I knew it had to be replaced with something more muted.

I think it’s fine! Definitely leave it until your son asks for a change.

It's super, I'd leave it until he decides that he would like a change.

It’s not that babyish so I wouldn’t worry too much. However, you will feel that sadness whether you do it now or in a couple of years.

Start thinking about something lovely to replace it with. Maybe a giant cork board you can cover with photographs and memorabilia.

I think it’s fine for another couple of years.

No keep it till hes in senior school.

I thinks is fine for any age. I’d go with what DS thinks. (If you easily afford to repaint it). If not just leave it.

I really like it and think it’s fine for a 9yo. He may want a refresh before he goes to secondary.

It’s so lovely ❤️

When the time comes, it can easily be covered with large posters of footballers, rock bands or whatever else he's into by that time.

I don’t think the mural is too babyish, with right decor elsewhere in room I think it’s fine for a good few years. But I do think he’s getting to the age where having a play room might be seen is rather babyish!

Is he your youngest or only child? If so I would look at changing it to a kids lounge/ den, with gaming/ Lego type stuff if that’s what he’s into.

With right decor I think you can keep the map for a few more years yet!
Obviously if you’ve got younger children - then it’s fine to have a playroom but he might prefer to take it to living room or his room rather than a little kids playroom!

Oddly enough, around that age we switched a “babyish” map of the world in DS’s room for an actual map, with flags around the perimeter. Within a couple of weeks he was coming out with random facts like the capital of this or that African country, latitudes/longitudes, asking questions about flight times (prompting conversations about the earth being a globe, no fly zones etc), receiving flags I’ve never seen before. Turns out we’d accidentally hit on something he was interested in. You could maybe do that?!

Thanks all. Really helpful. We'll keep it for now.

If you look on the side wall @jonthebatiste you'll see we've already started on the flags!
@Britanniarulesthewaves yes, he is an only child. It is already morphing into a den, we have a big TV on one wall with his Switch connected up, and a large snuggle chair. We just call it the playroom out of habit.

I think you could make the mural more grown up over time…make the rest of the room a deep blue for example?

I can’t see how a world map could ever be seen as babyish. It’s a world map!

Ah yes, just zoomed in and saw the flags poster 👍🏼. Have also zoomed into the actual mural: it’s atrociously incorrect in quite a few places! Oof! I’d be changing it for that reason alone!

Ask him if he still wants it 🤷‍♀️

Can you tell me what you are referring to? DH and I are pretty well-travelled and aware of geography. We lived in Asia for a decade. I did check it quite carefully before we bought it, albeit keeping in mind the need to strike a balance between accuracy and attractive child-friendly design.

The Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, the Yin/Yang symbol, the Eiffel Tower, the pandas, t he Himalayas and the giraffes are all in the wrong places! And the scale is off, but appreciate this is just wall art :) I think I'm too invested in your mural, actually, but this was a bugbear when mine were younger.

I've been looking for ages for posters/wall art that have different ways of seeing planet earth (such as the non-western-based perspective, the "upside down" perspective etc). That would be really cool!

Well, you might as well also say that the animal cartoons are not accurate physical representations :-) .

We're happy that they are in the correct continents/general regions. I don't think it would be possible to achieve the design and have everything placed according to precise co-ordinates!

We don't use it for Year 4 Geography homework, but he did learn a good deal about the broad regions of the world and various famous landmarks when he was younger. He watched Destination X with us recently and enjoyed rolling his eyes at some of the contestants' lack of geographical knowledge, so I don't think it has done him any harm..

Out of interest, does the YinYang symbol have a geographical location? Isn't it just a philosophical/cultural concept?

TBH as a Scot my biggest issue is the way that Big Ben obscures the entire UK, but we have a map of the UK on another wall in the house 😀

Is that a Vespa in Spain (rather than Italy) and a VW Beetle in northern Brazil? (rather than Cuba) 🤔😁

It's fine, geography, animals and history are a thing for all ages. It'll outlast anything more fashionable. Maybe you could suggest to stick the flags in the right places, add capitals, country names, borders, territories and names of indigenous people, etc. And add the names of Central America and Oceania...