I came home tired from work last night to be faced with another "learning moment". I had to laugh. There was no other option.
My oldest son came up the stairs about to disolve, explaining to me that he had asked some online guy for help in his game. Upon receiving said "help" he instantly received a message on the Xbox saying he had been banned from Xbox 360 until February 20, 9999. Without laughing, I had to agree that was a pretty long time. He would be gone long before that deadline expired. We sat down and I asked for the accountable version of what happened. He explained that there was another character on line who had something he wanted. He asked the guy how he got it and it he could help him get one. He claimed he had no idea what he was asking was against the rules.
The Xbox people of course were not helpful and told him via "no reply" email, there was nothing they could do. I was in a rush to go to an obedience class in the thunderstorm that I was late for because one of my partners ended up with an abscessed tooth. My son looking at me in complete meltdown mode and I am totally without any ideas. This is not my area of expertise. In fact I am completely useless at gaming.
" Log on and find a phone number and an email address, call while I am gone or email and explain exactly what happened. I will help you when I get home." And with that I had to go.
By the time I got home, he told me he had found the information, emailed and they told him there was a chance that the decision would be reversed. We had a full conversation around " you never get something for nothing" and the consequences of that are sometimes pretty tough to take. Tough way to learn a life lesson when as a teenager your whole life revolves around these games, but as a parent, it did hammer the lesson home in a way that few other things would. This part I am good at. The lesson stuff!
We await the Xbox people's decision and hope that this will be one of those times they make an exception and allow some learning to occur. God our generation had it easy didn't we? There was at least a bit more slack somehow to learn lessons with one get out of jail free card. Doesn't seem like it so much anymore!
In love and light,
Kathryn
My oldest son came up the stairs about to disolve, explaining to me that he had asked some online guy for help in his game. Upon receiving said "help" he instantly received a message on the Xbox saying he had been banned from Xbox 360 until February 20, 9999. Without laughing, I had to agree that was a pretty long time. He would be gone long before that deadline expired. We sat down and I asked for the accountable version of what happened. He explained that there was another character on line who had something he wanted. He asked the guy how he got it and it he could help him get one. He claimed he had no idea what he was asking was against the rules.
The Xbox people of course were not helpful and told him via "no reply" email, there was nothing they could do. I was in a rush to go to an obedience class in the thunderstorm that I was late for because one of my partners ended up with an abscessed tooth. My son looking at me in complete meltdown mode and I am totally without any ideas. This is not my area of expertise. In fact I am completely useless at gaming.
" Log on and find a phone number and an email address, call while I am gone or email and explain exactly what happened. I will help you when I get home." And with that I had to go.
By the time I got home, he told me he had found the information, emailed and they told him there was a chance that the decision would be reversed. We had a full conversation around " you never get something for nothing" and the consequences of that are sometimes pretty tough to take. Tough way to learn a life lesson when as a teenager your whole life revolves around these games, but as a parent, it did hammer the lesson home in a way that few other things would. This part I am good at. The lesson stuff!
We await the Xbox people's decision and hope that this will be one of those times they make an exception and allow some learning to occur. God our generation had it easy didn't we? There was at least a bit more slack somehow to learn lessons with one get out of jail free card. Doesn't seem like it so much anymore!
In love and light,
Kathryn
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