(Drama unfolding) Nintendo to school - yes or no?

[AnyDream]

Hi all, High Drama in my house this morning. As a 'reward' the teacher has declared that the kids can bring in 'electronic or battery operated games' (which are normally banned) to school today to play with during free time.

DD1 has just gotten her Nintendo DS (which she's been saving up for all year) and I'm just not comfortable with the idea of her taking it to school! I can't be the only parent who feels this way, can I?

Am I just being mean? Should I just let her take the gadget?

[*LovemyKids*]

That is a hard one and i don't know if i would or not????

But i suppose that if she loses it or it gets broken or something then as long as she knows that there will be no more.

Still i don't know if i would let them, sorry its a hard one cause i suppose everyone else will have their's. '

Sorry i am absolutly no help what so ever, i don't think i would let them though.

Sorry
goodluck
Nikki

[Lulu]

Let her take it, I'm sure if she has saved up so hard she will take EXTRA care. If not, hard lesson learned....

[Beach Mama]

I agree with Lulu, and you could speak to the teacher about them being in a safe place when the kids aren't playing with them???

[kristy J]

yep i would chat to the teacher you wouldn't want a little brat pinching it.

[AngelPunks]

let her take it to school, but remind her of how hard she worked for it, so if something happens to it then all that hard work has gone down the drain

maybe as a "treat" if it comes home all in one piece that you match her dollar for dollar on a game for it? because she's shown responsiblity? Just a thought

[Tinks]

My kids are allowed to take thier DSs to school a couple of times a year and I've never found any problems whith it. But their teacher usually keeps them at her desk while they're not using htem.

[AnyDream]

Ok, so the consensus is that I'm just a little bit paranoid...? LOL

Let her take it, I'm sure if she has saved up so hard she will take EXTRA care. If not, hard lesson learned....

Wise words, oh wise-mother-of-teenager Lulu!

And I can definitely see the value of that. I'm just having a hard time dealing with the expectation that children WILL have these things (we held off until, well, NOW and she's 10.5) AND that they are so commonplace that it's no big to take them to school. Like they are so commonplace that it's the new 'normal' to have them. My DH and I both never had Donkey Kongs etc back in the day - our families couldn't afford them and we made do!

[~Raven~]

Seeing as it's a special rare occasion and they are allowed I would let her take it. I wouldn't any other day though!

[Ginger]

yeah i think you should let her take it as a 'one off'.

make sure that the teacher has extra security measures in place though- like locking it in her office over lunchtime- and that dd's name is clearly attached to it.

[Macca79]

I have to say that while I can see the teacher wanting to give the kids a treat I do disagree with it. As a teacher during the end of the school year there is so much going on such as classroom change overs, furniture being moved so the school can be cleaned over the holidays etc it is very easy for things to be lost and pinched. And something like a Nintendo is very tempting to hands that like to pinch things. Last year I had two students bring electronic games to class both of which were stolen during our end of year concert from the classroom and I had to spend my last day at school dealing with parents who thought that it was my responsibility to safeguard their child's belongings. I really do suggest that you think it over and if you do send it to school please realise that it is not the teachers responsibility to protect the game. We are flat out dealing with students, pack ups, room cleans, returning missing library books, packing up computer equipment etc. It is not that we are a mean bunch of people it is just that we know how devastating it can be to a kid when a treasured toy/game goes missing and the reality is that once it is gone we are only able to do so much, often with little result.

[Salsa]

Our last school newsletter mentioned someone was missing their DS and wanted it back...

I had to chat with my kids teacher even about stuff brought in for show and tell - to make sure it would be safe. And I talked to him about if he really wanted to take it he had to know there was a chance it could be stollen or broken and did he want to consider taking something else?

But then I often wonder if Im overly paranoid about stuff like that?

[Rouge]

If the teacher has suggested it, then I think its fine. I wouldn't be allowing it on a day to day basis but at the end of year there isn't much going on, I know at our school anyway all the books and work has come home and they are just having fun at this point.

[Trillian]

So what did you end up doing about it?

FWIW I am going to be old misery here and say if it were one of mine that came home and said they were doing that, I would say no because 1 I have a rule that they are not allowed to take anything to school that cost more than $10 and 2 I think there are more productive things the kids could be doing instead of that kwim. Our kids don't have one anyway (Lindsay is getting one for Christmas though shhhhhh ) but I think that it only serves to highlight the differences between the haves and the have-nots and the teacher really should have put a lot more thought into it - imagine how the kids who don't have one are going to feel. I would even go so far as to say something to the school about it.

[kirsty_lee]

I woudn't! I have seen my best friends kids fight over their ds's and they all have one, and all their friends have one, so you would think if each of them have one they'd all get along and play nicely right? WRONG! not only the fighting though, but if it gets damaged that would suck! I mean, unless she let them play with them in the classroom and then the teacher got them and put them away for lunch breaks etc

[AnyDream]

FWIW I am going to be old misery here and say if it were one of mine that came home and said they were doing that, I would say no because 1 I have a rule that they are not allowed to take anything to school that cost more than $10 and 2 I think there are more productive things the kids could be doing instead of that kwim. Our kids don't have one anyway (Lindsay is getting one for Christmas though shhhhhh ) but I think that it only serves to highlight the differences between the haves and the have-nots and the teacher really should have put a lot more thought into it - imagine how the kids who don't have one are going to feel. I would even go so far as to say something to the school about it.

Thank you Trill! Glad you think just a little like me. I also take Macca's point about the general chaos and confusion (and dare I say probable lack of careful supervision) that occurs at this end of the year.

I am still cranky that the class has done this not once but twice (last time she didn't have a nintendo so she took a DVD and a playstation game LOL). It was also apparent from DD's description of the first time they had this day how much NOT-sharing went on, how much was about 'you can't play with my xxx', how so&so has a Wii AND a DS AND an i-dog and brought all three while the next person only brought a DVD. It's a recipe for tears & social disaster if you ask me. AND now I've found out it was done in lieu of an excursion which makes me even CRANKIER. I would much rather the teacher had dragged them all out to a cultural institution for the morning or even a movie(!) Bah!

So, anyway, in the end I relented and let her take it. She was careful and it came home. I'm hoping that she understands the value of the thing because she had to save so long to buy it AND then saw how few games she could buy with her christmas money this year because they're so expensive (two games = money all gone!). If we were continuing at the school I would be bringing it up with the teacher but we're moving so that solves that problem, doesn't it!

[alioops]

I do agree with both sides of the argument. While she has worked hard for it and is likely to take extra care of it, there is still the chance that someone could take it while she is not allowed to have it. If she is so desperate to take it then she probably will even without permission (I know I would have) so it is better to give her some ground rules that still give her some trust aspect. I would suggest that at the end of the day you ask the teacher if she played with it when she shouldn't have, and quite often they will understand that was part of the deal she made with you on whether or not she could take it, and if she didn't live up to her end of the bargain then she looses that priveledge for a week or so.

[Trillian]

I"m glad that it all went well and it came home safe and sound (and in one piece!) It's hard though when the decision is taken out of your hands and there isn't enough warning from the teacher that they are having this *day* and you can do something about it and you make a decision on the run kwim? Back when I was in primary school the last day was always clean up and then we could all bring in a board game and play games once we were done, but do kids these days even still play board games? I know mine do, but do others?