Advice needed: I've just caught 7yo DS trying to use my credit card secretly to join bloody Club Penguin...

[scampadoodle]

He'd been nagging us to buy a membership but we said, firmly, No (none of his friends are members btw). Last night & this morning I found my purse in the study where my computer is, I challenged DS1 & he admitted that he was going to use the credit card to buy the membership. I was I am normally a shouty mummy but I was so upset by this that I stayed v calm & DS was v contrite - said sorry & hugged me. I told him how wrong it was & that I was v upset & didn't want to feel I couldn't trust him. TBH, i thought I wouldn't have to deal with this situation until he was a teenager.

So far the punishment is:
No more Club Penguin
He's not allowed to use my imac in the study.
When he uses his dad's old laptop it has to be with an adult present in the room.

I don't know if that's enough. I feel that morally, it's the tip of a very slippery slope. What do others think?

there are thwo things here

one is going into your bag and taking something which isn't his and the other is doing something that you have said no to

how long is the punishment lasting?

what is club penguin?

ds kept asking me for my credit card number and being all coy when asked what it was for, of course it was club penguin, he is 7 too!

It is not the tip of a slope it is a 7yo showing their intelligence and trying to get one past you, he got caught and you made it clear it is not ok, he has been punished. Let it go!

BTW, at 7yo they shouldnt really be on computers without an adult in the room in any case!

Ruby, it is a disney thing, you play a penguin and go around buying clothes, solving puzzels etc.

crikey! my first thought was that that is quite ingenious. nonetheless wrong obviously.

Why did I naturally think something to do with ppenguin bars?

Well, of course it was wrong, but it does show intelligence and initiative

It's not the start of a slippery slope. DS2 (7) is obsessed with Club Penguin as well and would do anything for unlimited access. He does have membership actually and this comes out of his pocket money.

But I don't think he would have much clue what a credit card is, and would just see it as an end to Penguin membership.

FWIW after some discussion on here I decided that membership was not a Bad Thing - it does transform the way they can play on the site.

My ds who is 8 and also a club penguin fanatic really doesn't understand about credit cards - he doesn't see it as 'money'. Would your ds take money from your purse to buy something? Probably not? If so I would let it go for now.

thanks for the explanation

• i think as the others says leave it now

he has been punished - am not sure it is a slippery slope TBH

Reality, our neighbours son does that....
How old is your son???

I agree with others, my son does ot see a credit card as a link to my money, he sees it as a way to pay for things without money! He would never dream of taking cash out of my purse for example!

I know, I agree about the intelligence & initiative thing!

I think the Club Penguin ban will be permanent, as will not using my computer. It's my work computer anyway so I'm not that thrilled when he uses it (he's a very early riser so goes on it before we're awake).

I think I'll also say to him that he wouldn't like it if someone took his piggy bank and spent the money, just to reinforce it.

I'm dreading getting a bill in case he managed to do it - he swears not!

Sorry, that was supposed to be
"Reality, our neighbours son does that....
How old is your son??? "

There is something wrogng witih communication in your family Id say - sorry

Why was he unable to say how mUCH he wanted to be on it?

You can dress your penguin, customise your igloo and go to places on the site and play games that are members only. According to DSs it's much better.
Works out at £1 a week, which as I say, comes from their pocket money (ie is half of it.)

If a kid REALLy wants something that is generalyl reasonable( not crack cocaine) there must be some dicussison of WHEN he might be able to or under certain circumstances, or that the reason he cant is good enough for him to be able to accept.
Seems this wast the case!

Possibly reality, is your neighbour a complete slattern?

There was another thread on this a while ago, you do get quite a lot more for the memership money but, IMO the best thing about membership is that it does not have to be permanent. You can join for one month during the holidays, do all the membership things, buy clothes etc then not buy membership again until the next holiday and all of your stuff will still be there waiting for you. IYSWIM.

Badgers - my kids claim to really want everything! If mum says no then it's no.

really?
Mine dont.I never had the nagging from tv adverts. Maybe they are just spoiled

Might be a good time to explain

1. How stupid it was, in case he's feeling clever, as you'd have seen any spending on your card on the statement and he would have been caught.

2. That it's exactly the same as stealing from your purse.

I don't get the nagging from the TV ads much either - what I do get is the peer group pressure nagging. Which is really what club penguin is about.

I do think there is a nice thing haveing the same interests as your mates and its cheap! whats the issue!

The issue is that mum said no!

Badgers Arse, it is a bit sweeping to say that there is something wrong with the communication in OP's family. This scenario is not symtomatic of deep seated communication problems imo.