I had planned to write about something else today BUT- I have a frustration to share instead!
My in-laws informed us today that they purchased a Nintendo DS lite for my 6 year old for the holidays. They did not ask us first, they just informed us when it was done. (They thought we might want to buy her more games for it). I'm a little dismayed by this! I think 6 is too young to be playing hand held games. She needs to be working on learning how to read and write and add, not how to get Tinkerbell through the forest!
My husband and I were already struggling with my parents purchase of an inexpensive mp3 player for her. At least this, I rationalized in my head, could be used sparingly and I could control what music went on it. It seemed like a good first step into the technological world in which kids live today. She already knows how to use my husbands and would not need much help with this...
It just occurred to me... am I going to have to teach her how to use the DS? I'd rather be teaching her not to reverse her S's and 7's!!!!! Not to mention that the DS is $130!!!! I just don't think a 6 year old, at least not MY 6 year old, is capable of taking care of something that is over $100! She loses everything... EVERYTHING!
Am I over-reacting?
Do you know a child of this age that does well with it?
Should I tell my in-laws no?!?!?!?!?!!!! (I've never been good at that!)
Lord knows- once she has it in her hand, she will love it (for a time) and there will be no going back....
3 comments:
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My kids all have DS's. My youngest was 5 when she got hers. While I was a little leary at first, there really are some good educational games on there. Plus it teaches hand-eye coordination.
You can always set some groundrules for using it... such as time limits, when and where the kids can play with them.
I definitely think it's an excessive gift for a 6-year old, but I'm very conservative in that sense, and it seems like one of many parenting topics that can be interpreted one of several ways.
If you set boundaries with it right from the beginning, there shouldn't be any problems (ideally). For instance, only give it to her as a reward (and you keep it most of the time) or maybe only on long car rides? I have no idea. But I can assure you that you are NOT overreacting.
I would be doing the same thing.
I think it is way to early for those. We are getting the Wii for Christmas, but our kids won't be playing it whenever they please. They are going to have to earn time by reading, writing, spelling, etc. Since both girls are on different levels, we will are working on a fair point earning chart and that will determine the amount of minutes they can play the Wii. My girls have leapsters, but they are all educational and they play them only on long trips in the car. I know how you are feeling. My in laws got Viv a cheap mp3 player last Christmas and we returned it. We didn't want her using headphones so early in life.
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