13yo found him gaming at 3am - what now

3w ago1 min read

Walked past his room last night and heard clicking sounds. Opened the door and there he is on his laptop playing some online game with his buddies. Said they were in the middle of something and couldn't stop. I'm furious. Took the laptop away but now he's not talking to me and my wife says I overreacted. He's been pretty responsible overall but this is a new level of sneaking around. How do I handle the conversation when he calms down? And should I put parental controls on or does that feel like I don't trust him?

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Comments(2)

DDan K.New Dad3w ago

Yeah, I've been there. With three kids I've caught gaming at weird hours more times than I'd like to admit. The key is staying calm when you have that conversation - they're usually embarrassed enough already. Maybe set some clear boundaries about weeknight gaming and stick to them.

JJamesRegular3w ago

This is tough because part of me gets it, but 3am on a school night is a hard no. I'd talk to him about why he felt the need to sneak gaming instead of asking, and then figure out what reasonable gaming time looks like for a 13yo in your house.