I have a deep New Year’s post waiting to go up, but it is on the laptop, and I am not, so I have decided to slide straight into the trivial for my return post.
Webkinz is so passe, don’tcha know? My kids have moved onto obsessing over Club Penguin, which is smart enough to let a kid be a member for free, only without being able to do any of the cool stuff. For that, you need a membership.
After much negotiating, I agreed that Maya and Asher could each buy a month, in hopes that they’ll lose interest in that time and not beg for more (oh look! a slippery slope! why, it seems to be getting closer!).
Of course, Boo was outraged. It is so unfair, she mopped, that they get memberships and she doesn’t, just because they are older and have their own money. I put her off for a bit, but then realized that putting up with all the moaning and begging wasn’t worth the $6 membership fee for a month. And I did see her point.
We delightedly logged her on, as she announced her intention to buy a yellow puffle (a little tribble-like pet), just as her siblings did. Oh, how she yearned for that yellow puffle. I checked her account. She had $138. I asked Asher how much a puffle costs. A mere $800, he informed me.
At this point, I had two choices. I could have Boo sit at the computer for about 4 hours, playing little games that make Penguin money until she had enough (money, or patience), or I could play the games for her and get it done much faster. Most of the games on Club Penguin are beyond her computer abilities.
And this was how I found myself on Club Penguin yesterday afternoon, playing Connect Four with some child somewhere else in the world (actually, the skill involved in one of the games had me suspecting I was playing another adult). I also went fishing, played a version of space invaders and a maze game involving melting ice.
Boo and I are now the proud owners of a cute yellow puffle named Puffle.
You are completely insane. Also, who makes this sh*t up?
I told my youngest about this (he saw the picture over my shoulder) and he told me, “I must say, if you’re not good at the games, it’s hard to buy some things, like puffles”. He approves of her choice of a yellow puffle. “They’re the good ones,” he confidently informed me.
Fortunately, he is able to play enough of the games by himself that I don’t have to get on and play. Because I’m pretty sure he just wouldn’t have a puffle if it came down to that!
Coins arent that hard to get.
I have over 60000
Alex, I’ll tell you who makes this shit up – people who have the foresight to see that little kids will go mad for a penguin version of second life and then sell their site to Disney for a zillion dollars, that’s who!
Mathmom, your youngest is very wise.
999pingu111, coins aren’t that hard to get if you are keen on sitting on Club Penguin for hours playing their little games, which at the age of 41, I am generally not inclined to do.
Still, there has to be drugs involved.
Reasonable assumption.
I know what you mean! When you r very little its REALLY hard to get coins! It should be esiar for smailler kids because the kid will be really sad and want that puffle or cloth, they should make “youger kids servers” were it is easiar to make money and items are cheaper.
Also many people use hacking engines to get there cojns which may be illegale or agiants the club penguin rules wich would lead to a permanent ban.
I’ll just add that at least the club penguin music is not nearly as annoying as the ToonTown music, to which I am frequently subjected. My youngest swaps off between paying for club penguin membership and paying for ToonTown membership. This effectively uses all of his “free money” allowance, but hey, I spent mine on candy when I was his age, so who’s to say this is any worse. (I do subsidize for toontown, because it’s $10/mo which he can’t afford! TT does give 6 characters, and even the older boys like to play a bit when he’s signed on, so I don’t mind going halfsies on it with him every now and again…)
[…] accessing the internet, they decided its primary purpose must be to play game with each other on Club Penguin. No, no and a thousand times no, I told them. I believe it took me a whole 4 hours to cave. It did […]
My daughter was in tears yesterday because her puffle ran away. I was ticked off because I was hoping letting her play Club Penguin for hours would keep her busy while I cleaned up our flooded basement. Today her friend is over to play while I keep mopping up, etc. Her puffle ran away. Is that what those darn things do? 😦 Eight year olds get upset about that stuff!
They run away if they aren’t fed, exercised and put to sleep regularly. She has to look after them. It’s a pain.
yo