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You are here: Home / birthday / The perils of the sleepover…

The perils of the sleepover…

January 16, 2014 By Ellen 5 Comments


We’ve had sleepovers as a birthday celebration for Boy Two for a few years now.

Last year, with the kids sleeping in two rooms I eventually had to turn off the wifi at about midnight to stop them Facetiming each other. I think they fell asleep and they certainly didn’t wake me.

So Boy Two headed off to his pal’s house the other night for a sleepover for his twelfth birthday. He was very excited and triple checked he had the essentials – sleeping bag, birthday card with cash enclosure and PJs.

“Toothbrush?” I suggested.

“Nah,” he said as if I’d suggested taking extra homework do to while he was there.

“Whatever.”

During the night, I missed two texts one just after midnight and another firmly in the wee small hours. “Still awake!!!!!!” read the last.

When I picked him up some of his fellows were still snoring.

“Did you have fun?”

“Oh yes. I didn’t go to sleep at all and I played GTA4 all night.”

That’ll be the Grand Theft Auto IV video game that has an 18 certificate on account of its adult content – violence, sex and drink driving.

Staying up all night isn’t something that bothers me too much. We’ve all done it and eventually arrived at a point when staying down all night is an achievement.

But the game isn’t so good. I really don’t want my son to be exposed to this stuff. I don’t want him wrapped up from the realities of the big-bad world, but I’d rather some of the details were, for a while anyway, theories rather than explicitly illustrated using some of the most impressive technology going.

I don’t like being nannied about my parenting choices, but the ratings are there for a reason – as a guide to the suitability of content. Or unsuitability in this case.

So what’s to do?

It goes against the grain to tell another parent how they should do things, so I won’t bring it up with the birthday boy’s folks. In any case, the situation won’t come up til next birthday.

I’ve had a chat with Boy Two about my dismay and about why seeing these things might be bad for him.

What would you do?

Filed Under: birthday, boys, Grand Theft Auto, GTA4, parenting, sleepover

Comments

  1. Jacq says

    January 17, 2014 at 9:14 am

    Wow. Umm, I think I'd say something, just to clarify that it actually happened.Do you know any of the other parents? How do they feel?

    Reply
  2. Ellen Arnison says

    January 17, 2014 at 9:37 am

    It's difficult. I don't know the other parents well enough to mention in passing. Saying something would make a thing of it.

    Reply
  3. Kirsteen Neale says

    January 17, 2014 at 10:02 am

    I think I might make a thing of it actually. I'd be downright furious if my daughter had been allowed to play/watch x rated games or films at a friend's house.

    Reply
  4. Boy Blogger says

    January 19, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    it was GTA5

    Reply
  5. Marylin says

    January 19, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    Honestly? I would say something about it. Maybe they don't realise what is actually in that game. I have GTAV, and enjoy it when the boys are fast asleep and that's it. There's no way in hell I'd let him play it till he was at least 16/17 (he's quite mature for his age as it is but there would be a Very Embarrassing Talk before he was allowed to, and certainly not with friends around!).

    Reply

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