Ok so am I crazy for buying my 8 year old son a PSP?

[Epoman]

***Please see update2***

Ok I told my son a birthday party or a PSP, I was glad he choose PSP because his partys always cost me $600-$800 dollars. I will get him the PSP and a 512mb memory card, his uncle will get him "Ape Escape", His grandma will get "Tony Hawk", and his grandpa will get him, "Mercury" or another PSP game.

I know it's a bit much for an 8 year old but he is a great kid, Top of his class, he's in the gifted program at school, is very respectful and helpful. I am in a wheelchair and he is one of my biggest helpers. He is very mature for his age and despite what some of you might say he is not spoiled. He does have alot of things in his room but when I tell him no on something he listens, he never yells, or crys or throws a tantrum.

I am by no means rich but I had told my son as long as he does good in school I will buy him "most" of the toys he wants. He gets Perfect report cards (All E's) and has been "Good Citizen" every year.

I think he will really get alot of use out of this, he has been wanting a MP3 player, his is a CD based MP3 player but it is big and bulky. Also the emulation scene and homebrew scene is picking up rather well (NES, SNES, and GB all have semi working emulators).

I was thinking of getting him a lanyard to hold the PSP securely around his neck. I am posting this because the guy at Fry's asked me if this was for me, I told him no it's for "him" (pointing to my son) his jaw dropped and walked away. WTF?

He currently has a SP and he takes great care of it. I asked him if he wanted a DS but he said no. It just puzzles me that people have the reaction they do, My friend also asked me what I'm getting him and he too was shocked. It's like the time at his 4th birthday party when he was opening presents and he got to the present from me and his mom, people were like OMG! It was just a computer. I mean whats wrong with giving a 4 year old a computer? He's going to be 8 now and he knows how to use the computer for everything. He uses it for games, music, homework, web browsing.

But anyway what's your thoughts on a PSP for a 8 year old?

UPDATE

Ok so I bought the PSP for my son and I opened it and I charged it and bought him a 512MB card put some MP3, Pics, on it and now I am Scared. I now realize how fragile this damn thing actually is.

PSP $249.99
Case $9.99
Car Kit $14.99
512Mb MS $64.99
Game $29.99
Game $39.99
Game $39.99

TOTAL:
Including tax $487.05 :Q
Although 2 of the games came from family members and the 512 MS came from grandpa.

Still He will be carrying $500 worth of crap on him when we go out. :Q He hasn't got to touch it yet because his birthday is on the 7th.

UPDATE2

OK I know all about how Hard drives and memory cards are not what they advertise. However I bought a 512mb SanDisk and I only have 468mb that is too much of a difference. I see some people talking and they have 488 on their card which sounds about right. But I am missing 44mb WTF? is the card defective?

 

[Aimster]

nintendo DS for 8 year old

 

[gshock888]

yes. buy me the PSP. i give your son my GBA

thanks!

PSP games are too grown up. get a DS. but if you want to reward him for his good work and behaviior, get him what he wants...

 

[NTB]

What's an E?

Anyway, I don't think it's a bad idea. A little more complicated than when I was little (era of the original NES, which my parents bought me ) but it shouldn't be bad.

Nate

 

[StageLeft]

Probably would have been better to get advice on that perior to purchase My real surprise here is the $600-800 for birthday parties. That's pretty nuts...

 

[LtPage1]

it seems very, very unusual to me- PSP is definitely marketed (including/especially the games) towards an older audience. it also seems kind of weird to me for an 8-year old to have a $300 handheld console. however, since youve already told him that hes getting it, and he really does seem uncommonly mature and not spoiled, i say go for it.

Originally posted by: Skoorb
My real surprise here is the $600-800 for birthday parties.

same here. whatever happened to just having a bunch of guys over for pizza, movies, and video games? i always enjoyed those more than the parties where the kid had a bounce house, a magician, or whatever other activities the parents had planned.

 

[gshock888]

Originally posted by: NTB
What's an E?

Anyway, I don't think it's a bad idea. A little more complicated than when I was little (era of the original NES, which my parents bought me ) but it shouldn't be bad.

Nate

E - excellent
S - satisfactory, etc

for those schools who think ABCDEF system is too simple :roll:

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: gshock888

Originally posted by: NTB
What's an E?

Anyway, I don't think it's a bad idea. A little more complicated than when I was little (era of the original NES, which my parents bought me ) but it shouldn't be bad.

Nate

E - excellent
S - satisfactory, etc

for those schools who think ABCDEF system is too simple :roll:

That's what I figured, but I've never seen a reportcard like that.

Nate

 

[Rebasxer]

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: gshock888

Originally posted by: NTB
What's an E?

Anyway, I don't think it's a bad idea. A little more complicated than when I was little (era of the original NES, which my parents bought me ) but it shouldn't be bad.

Nate

E - excellent
S - satisfactory, etc

for those schools who think ABCDEF system is too simple :roll:

That's what I figured, but I've never seen a reportcard like that.

Nate

It's from this new movement where people think letter grades like D and F are too damaging to children so they switch the letters around.

 

[walla]

I killed a man on my third birthday. In Vietnam.

 

[gshock888]

yeah u dont get an F, you get a U

"mom i got a U in math"
"what's a u?"
"U... um... Ultimate!"
"good son, you get a PSP!"

(no offense to OP )

 

[Brackis]

I say get him it, but teach him to realize that it is a very expensive and advanced device that he is lucky to afford. The more he can associate it with his strong moral character the better.

 

[dcdude]

E's and S's is what you get in grades k-3

 

[djheater]

we're a limited media houselhold.
We don't have broadcast television service and the only TV they watch is DVD's. I'd be surprised if my seven year old even knows what a PSP is... She has a GBA which she plays 1-2 hours a week max...

Anyway, that being said. If your kid behaves respectfully, and is responsible, buy him the PSP.
There's nothing wrong with that.

 

[Lorn]

You sound like a great dad, he sounds like a great kid, the PSP sounds like a great gift.

 

[suse920]

replace mercury with lumines and your all set I'm sure you son will know how expensive it is and will take care of it accordingly.

 

[sniperruff]

people are surprised because it's expensive. then again, me and my brother chipped in ~$200 USD while i was around 9 to buy the NEC Core grafx

http://www.vidgame.net/NEC/core_grafx.htm

 

[PHiuR]

a little young for the psp, no?

 

[anno]

Originally posted by: Rebasxer

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: gshock888

Originally posted by: NTB
What's an E?

Anyway, I don't think it's a bad idea. A little more complicated than when I was little (era of the original NES, which my parents bought me ) but it shouldn't be bad.

Nate

E - excellent
S - satisfactory, etc

for those schools who think ABCDEF system is too simple :roll:

That's what I figured, but I've never seen a reportcard like that.

Nate

It's from this new movement where people think letter grades like D and F are too damaging to children so they switch the letters around.

when I was in elementary school (in the 60's) the grading scale was E, G, M, P and F. for.. excellent, good, mediocre, poor and failing. actually, I don't know that that's what they stood for, nobody ever told us.. but at least it makes sense. the ABCDF thing once we got to jr. high was kind of hard to get used to.

 

[shilala]

I think you did the right thing.
Kids learn responsibility by giving them responsibility.
Last week my 8 year old daughter broke the antenna of of her wireless g usb adapter. She came and showed it to me and I was pretty upset because we had an argument about mounting it where it wouldn't get broke and she refused to do it.
The next day I went out and bought her a new one.
I gave it to her and told her I bought it because I was proud of her recent efforts. She's been making a conscious effort to clean up her room and her generally hoggish habits.
I also took opportunity to once again explain how sensitive these kinds of things are and the care that has to be given to them.
She installed the new adapter, mounted it where it couldn't be broken, and everything is fine.
It was a VERY well spent 40 bucks.

 

[tk149]

At what point are you going to teach him the value of money, and how hard it is to acquire? If you get him stuff like this now, where does it end? Are you going to buy him a Porshe at 16? A house at 21? A yacht at 25?

If you think he's earned it, then so be it, but be careful with the precedents you're setting, or life is going to kick your son in the teeth really hard some day.

 

[keeleysam]

Originally posted by: shilala
I think you did the right thing.
Kids learn responsibility by giving them responsibility.
Last week my 8 year old daughter broke the antenna of of her wireless g usb adapter. She came and showed it to me and I was pretty upset because we had an argument about mounting it where it wouldn't get broke and she refused to do it.
The next day I went out and bought her a new one.
I gave it to her and told her I bought it because I was proud of her recent efforts. She's been making a conscious effort to clean up her room and her generally hoggish habits.
I also took opportunity to once again explain how sensitive these kinds of things are and the care that has to be given to them.
She installed the new adapter, mounted it where it couldn't be broken, and everything is fine.
It was a VERY well spent 40 bucks.

Damn! an 8 year old w/ a laptop!

 

[Coquito]

Buy the kid a basketball & a hoop to shoot at. Too many electronics, not enough exercise. Hopefully when the psp is recharging, he'll step outside more often.

 

[SnipeMasterJ13]

I think as long as he takes good care of it, you shouldn't have a problem. And plus you will get to play it every once and awhile too. :thumbsup:

 

[Chronoshock]

I would say the problem is not your kid, but other kids. Make sure that he does not take it outside of the house without being in your presence as I can definitely see jealous kids wanting it. I'd hate to lose an investment like that because someone stole it from him at school