Recognition for a job well done?

The Artist has been bugging me – well, not actually bugging, he’s too subtle for that – let’s just say he’s been talking about how much he really, really wants the game Skyrim for PlayStation 3 (PS3 for those of you not in the know) Normally I subscribe to the school of “ok whatever” when it comes to video games, but this one gave me pause. Because it’s rated M – Mature.

So I’ve been putting him off and putting him off, but finally on the weekend I told him that yes, he could go use his gift card (from Christmas!) on a game, but that I wanted to do a little digging in to it before I gave the go-ahead for that particular game. So I checked the ratings site, poked around a few game forums designed for parents, etc. And I also consulted a friend who also has a son around The Artist’s age and who is a gamer herself for a little advice. After all that, I decided that the game would be ok for him, and off we went to Best Buy. And because I am “That Mother” we chatted about the game on the way to the store, and I explained my reservations to him – the violence, the gore…but even more importantly the sexuality and the portrayal of women because in a lot of ways I think that can be some of the most damaging content in video games. And again, I don’t know anything about Skyrim other than what I read, so I may be jumping to conclusions but that’s just me. I am a walking disclaimer. Anyway, it was a good talk and he really go where I was coming from – which doesn’t surprise me, given my penchant for launching into “Feminism 101” lectures during episodes of iCarly and other teen drama-type shows. But I digress…

So, on the heels of this, here is a conversation I had with The Musician this morning:

Him: Soooooo…you finally broke down and bought Skyrim for The Artist, eh???

Me: Well, yeah, he’s been asking for it for awhile. I checked it out first, you know.

Him: You checked it out? What do you mean?

Me: Well, I went to some online parent forums about video games, checked the ratings site, talked to Rhonda, you know, stuff like that.

Him: So are you telling me that you RESEARCHED it?!?!?

Me: Yeah, I researched it.

Him: OMG seriously?? *laughing hysterically* Come on! You RESEARCHED a video game! Ahahahaha! Wow. That’s some nice parenting right there.

Sometimes I think they really are paying attention.