Over at
AFRo she was discussing nagging by her son. His request was a Nintendo DS- Here is my comment on how to deal.
If you take your Gameboy to a Gamestop store, they will trade it on a new DS. You get a $40 credit and then "only" have to pay the other $90. We let C do this last summer. He had straight A's 2 report cards in a row. He pulled this off to bribe his grandparents into big $ payouts. I always buy them a used game (about$20) for an excellent report card so he had $77,I chipped in my $20 and he was set. He forgot about tax and was a little pissed.The good thing about the DS is that the Gameboy games work in it too. You don't have to buy all new games. My kids play all their old ones and have maybe 5 DS games total. (thanks to aunts and uncles)Good Luck , I know its hard.
I then proceeded to go to J's T-ball game, where I met up with Paintboy, Nana and C. I posted this when I finally got home.
I have an update- C left his damn DS at the ballpark tonight! I mean on the bleachers and we were finished with our game and the next group came to play and we left the park and he didn't realize it for 2HOURS! I took him back to check , just to make a point. No way was the pocket size game going to be there...I live in a VERY honest town! The stinkin' DS was in the concession stand "lost and found". Someone turned it in. I guess every child already owned one and didn't want a spare. ;o)That's a thought for you- start trolling the baseball parks for bored siblings and you might be able to snag one from a very spoiled child that doesn't notice that its gone for over 2 hours.
There is more to the story that I wanted to share. When we got home the first time ( after stopping for dinner at Panera), C asked me where his DS was, I didn't have a clue. He very patiently called Nana and asked her what "she had done with it?" " Oh baby, I didn't see it tonight," was her ever so Nana-like reply.
C then decided he would call his Dad. Paintboy, when asked stated "That it wasn't his DS and not his responsibility!" and hung up.( Paintboy has very little patience for misplaced items)
That was when we loaded up into the car, J was fresh from the shower and in Jammies. Back to the ballpark we went.
I am telling this child that "he is going to have to come up with $140 this time because he doesn't have a trade in."
" I am not going to contribute a dime, you are going to have to use all of your birthday money."
" There is no way that its still going to be there."
GUILT TRIP!
We pull into the lot and who is standing there - Nana.
She was so worried that Mean Mommy was not going to bring him back, that she was going to check. She is GOOD, people. I learned my guilt tripping from the BEST. I felt bad for making him feel bad. WTH?
When C went to check the "lost and found" they asked him to decribe his DS (what, there are that many left every night?) He said, "Its black."
sniff..."And??"
"It has a black NERF cover."
sniff, sniff, "And?"
"It has a Mario Cart game in it."
tears starting...
"What's the serial number?"
" I don't know, my mom won't let me take the cover off..."
tears for real...
They were just giving him a hard time, but the kid was stressed.
When we got home he marched into the kitchen and wrote is name in silver sharpie across that DS!
He is one lucky fellow. We are hardcore parents and would not buy him another. He knows it, too.
This is where we are heading next week for Spring Break. Before you get the wrong impression and think I have gone all granola over here, we are staying in very nice hotels. NO Camping! NO Hiking! Lots of photography and memories for the boys.
