Am I the only parent who won't allow an xbox, DS or playstation in the house?

[MINIBondGirl]

Am I being unrealistic in this issue as I only know a very few parents who feel the same? Having seen other children playing on them (sometimes looking like zombies and getting headaches) I am really put off. I know some parents restrict usage and don't allow unsuitable games but a lot don't.

As my boys are 4 & 7 I would rather they played outside, used their imaginations and concentrated on school for now.

Realistic or not?

did none of you play video games when you were younger? i'm 42 and loved them, certainly see the appeal that's why i find these threads a bit hard to comprehend.

ds(18) talks to people fom all over the world on some games, he's still managing to do A levels

some people just aren't tech minded and are scared of the unknown

everything in moderation as one million people on this thread have already said

She isn't getting shot down for not running with the crowd, she is getting shot down for thinking she can do the impossible when she has no experience. Writing it down and opening it in 10 years time is a serious suggestion. I was anti TV s in bedrooms, and stuck to it but I wouldn't have banned a DC from all TV.

She got 'shot down' as you put it for her smug condescending attitude lola.

As I said earlier, who is 'running with the crowd'? I dont think ive stated what my stance is on game consoles? yet she assumed a lot about my parenting ideals.

You mean that you didn't just give up like the rest of us exoticfruits?
Didn't just let the Demonic Corruptor Of Youth into your home and then abandon your children to possession and doom and zombification?

That there is, possibly, a middle ground of compromise?

I was anti TVs in bedrooms until I had a DS with AS.

Snap Fallen!

Of course FallenCaryatid, I let them have computer games and they gave up completely on sport, Scouts, reading, hobbies, seeing friends etc and they failed to get to university, meet deadlines, cook healthily- the evil screen took over!

In reality- moderation in all things- does no harm.

My final comment to you AmberLeaf is you spell "nob" with a "k".

Err no you dont unless you're talking about a door knob!

I think we are all entitled to have expectations on how we will parent our children, even if we will end up changing our views.

I did play with electronic games, when I was a young teenager, (i am 42), but not on a regular basis. I am also aware I spend too much time on the internet, and I am sure it is not a particlarly constructive.

'I am also aware I spend too much time on the internet, and I am sure it is not a particlarly constructive.'

But you get to argue with so many more people.

What an emotive subject. We all like to think we are giving our kids good tools to become nice, helpful and confident members of society.

Jane McGonigal - Reality is Broken : Why Games Make Us Better And How They Can Change the World. A very influential book on gaming written by one of the top 10 most influential women of 2010. She argues that games are bringing a sense of community back - according to DH (bottomless pit on this subject!!).

Although I don't like them, I sometimes watch my DS's (9,6 and 5) making 'worlds' on Little Big Planet and it involves a huge amount of imagination and concentration - and working together as a team. Much of their enthusiasm is fuelled by DH and it helps that he has a real interest in it and will sit and explain who made it, why they made it, etc etc....

The gaming industry is now bigger than the music and film industry. There are many very good jobs there for talented individuals. Technology is changing so fast, we think that our DS's having a good understanding of this is a huge benefit to them, along with reading, writing, sports and all the other wonderful things out there that they have access to.

For us, but only because my husband is in the industry, there is a much bigger picture here - I for one will be very interested to see what our children's children will be doing with their free time.

Hope that doesn't come across as 'smug'.

We don't either. Dds are 4 and 6. If they really wanted one, I would think about it, but the only thing dd1 really wants is a kindle [proud mum emoticon]! I just don't see the need at the moment.

Dd does play bubble witch when I leave Facebook open and has a higher score than some fb friends!

poppyboo Sun 06-May-12 18:50:13
"Hobnobs My DC's are in bed now, and they were out today with DH...It's not technolgy I have a problem with, it's technology like gaming which can be addictive and can take up so many hours a day"

The most addictive screen activity I know of is mumsnetting. I hope you are not setting a bad example to your dcs, poppy. After all, parental influence is so important in the early years...

I was feeling a bit silly AmberLeaf and was prepared to stand corrected ...but the opinion on google seems divided (even came across a Mumsnet thread about this very thing, lol!) but I'm sticking with urban dictionary!
m.urbandictionary.com/%23define?term=knob

Constructive hobby, I meant.

True, I get to argue with as many people as I like .

Ha! I knew you'd google it, but urban dictionary also states with conviction that its Nob.

I stand by Nob, but I think its one of those non words that cant really be right or wrong, certainly not something id try to correct someone on!

there is certainly alot more research out there to do be done!

If your DCs are only 4yrs and 6years of course you don't need them- the mistake is to think you can say exactly the same at 14yrs and 16yrs.

cory just come back to this and wanted to say did you not read what you cut and pasted from me? The DC's are in bed and they were out with my DH today? They don't see me on Mumsnet, we don't have screen time when the children are around! & I'm rarely on here, thank goodness, because it seems if you have a different opinion to the majority you just get abuse. I know parental influence is a big thing, but according to this thread it's not worth a jot once they grow up.

Once they grow up they are .......drum roll ....ADULTS and should be making their own decisions.

You really are not readng the posts poppyboo! That isn't what we are saying at all!