What's your opinion on small children having expensive electronics?

**MeggiesMama** · 09-12-2009, 06:00 AM

Recently I took my daughters to a friend's daughter's 4th birthday party. My daughters are 6 years old and 4.5 months old. Well, this little girl got a Nintendo DS for her birthday. Ever since then my six year old has been asking when she'll get a Nintendo DS. A little boy that rides the bus with my daughter has an IPod. Now she wants one. Her biological mother gave her a cell phone when she was five (and told her to keep it a secret from us, yes I'm her step-mom) anyway, when we discovered it, we took it away. We didn't feel that a five year old should have a cell phone and I think she's too young to have IPods and Nintendo DS and other expensive electronics. I know she won't take care of things like that. We got her a thing that hooks up to the TV and helps her with reading and letters. It was a little expensive, but not too bad. We've bought her an inexpensive CD player. She regularly steps on or tosses the TV thing around and her CD player is still in good condition but her CDs aren't.

I guess my question is more of just wondering who actually buys these expensive things for their kids. How old are your kids or were your kids when you started buying them expensive electronics and how well did they hold up?

09-12-2009, 06:00 AM

I'm 20, and don't have children, but I know that I was about 9 or so was when I got my first CD player (portable) and about 11 when I got my first stereo. I've always taken extreme care of my things. I remember having glass items (geese to be more specific lol) in my bedroom, on my dresser when I was about four or five. They never broke and I never took them down because I didn't want them to get ruined.
Before that, I had the typical Nintendo and Super Nintendo, which every kid had back in the day, but that was average. I think a four year old who has their own cell phone, their own DS, their own Ipod...is extremely rediculous because what is a four year old going to do with an Ipod? What are they POSSIBLY listening to at that point in their lives to justifly their parents reasoning in buying one?

**tiaragotanewtiara!!** · 09-12-2009, 06:01 AM

a child is very capable of taking care of a cd player, ipod, ds, psp, and any other handheld electronics, that is if their parents teach them.

would i get my daughter an ipod nah, she wouldn't know how to use it.

would i get her a cell phone- nope...

would i get her a ds? she already has one and she takes care of it very well

lolol lynz youre talking about when the freaken 1990's? lololol

rollerblades are still fun, but a ds is fun too

lol erris what kind of nintendo did u get that was 800?

**Amarrylis** · 09-12-2009, 06:01 AM

I let my 4 year-old play with my phone (Lego Indiana Jones downloaded) and also with my new camera. He started when he was 3 and never dropped them. Of course he is supervised.
(A few months ago, it was actually his 36 year-old father who dropped my previous camera in the ocean...)
Anyway, I would not buy him his own. I think he's way too young to understand the value of such objects. I'd rather he uses mine at times. He can get his own when he starts earning pocket money.