Should we get a MacBook Air for our 8 year old daughter?

When I was 8 I loved Pokemon .

It wasn't that long ago .

 

I never touch a computer until I was 12, never touch a laptop until 17, and never touch a mac book so far .
do you want to adopt a son

 

what's the world coming to? 8 yrs and "all" the kids going to you child's school have macbook airs/ toshibas... wow.. quite.. distasteful. Not to bring parenting/ social dynamics into the picture too much, but isn't this the time where more importance should be upon her getting around and being social and mixing and interacting with her peers, or are we all heading towards advocacy of being self centered ppl with no lives outside the virtual world? Sorry, I digressed. But if you must, something as light as possible, and please do instill in her the value of "value of things" ...
And I don't conform to your notions of "just 'cos all the other kids have it, my daughter should have it too.." , I think we all need to move away from this sort of value system.

 

the laptop will obviously meet her computing and weight needs, and is also obviously overkill for her usage.

and more importantly, i think its scary and irresponsible of you to teach her thats its important to be a follower and match what other people have and do. keeping up with the jones's is NOT a positive concept as far as i know. a fake empty game of social status? is that really what you want to encourage her towards? the short term "social benefits" of the macbook air will be greatly outweighed by the long term social consequences. its those kinds of things that keep people from growing up, that make people selfish and greedy as adults. its just a bad road.

i would seriously consider avoiding the mentality that she needs [insert fashionable item] just because it exists and other people have it. granted, the macbook air by itself is not that big of a deal, but the whole line of thinking here stinks.

im sorry, but i had to say it. thank god i get to raise my own kids when the time comes.

 

If you are willing to put up with the great probability of your daughter accidentally dropping it, spilling anything on it, damaging it in any way. Sure go ahead. I just hope you are prepared to deal with the fact that your daughter and/or her friends may do something accidentally and render the computer damaged. This is very likely and yes, I have plenty of experience with children this age. I have two cousins who are currently 10 and 8.

I would consider putting something cheaper and less delicate in her hands, until she is at least 13 or so...

 

Don't have much advice, but I just want to add that I no longer feel very weird about having bought my 11 year old brother his own Inspiron Then again if your daughter is anything like my bro, she'll be able to take care of that thing just fine... some kids are just really responsible at a young age. I still think it's weird though, lol.

 

I would recommend getting her something more durable. She's going into what, kindergarten or first grade? After a month of her taking it to school, I'm sure it will break by misuse by some kids. Look into a Panasonic Toughbook or a new 13" Latitude from Dell, it's really small and durable. If you decide on the MacBook Air or any of Apple's other laptops, at least cover it in InvisibleShield or something similar. If you want to get a HP, they over accident protection, too, so if the computer accidentally breaks, they'll replace it.

 

Yo dude, seems to me that you are more eager to get it for you and your wife to play around with rather than for her to actually have. If you really cant wait and don't' want to spend much, consider the mac mini as a general desktop computer that your daughter can use as well, or even a macbook just for the whole family.

 

ok folks the reason why we spoil our daughter is simple. We love her

When i was a kid i grew up with nothing. My mom married some jerk who had a restaurant he used her to put us in his kitchen. We didn't have good education but i had to teach myself and grew up street wise.

I know personally what it is like to be a kid with nothing not even a pair of shoes to go to school with. I went to school barefeet. I was so embarrassed when the social worker at my school took me to shopping for a pair of shoes.

I worked my way to get a good job that pays great money and all i want now is to make sure my daughter never ever go without. She will get everything i dont care if you think we are spoiling her.

Anyway thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

I see where you are coming from, but be sure to not go overboard... You can easily take it to the opposite extreme. I say get her things, but a macbook Air at age 8 will really spoil her and she will expect more as she gets to be a teenager and she will grow up to be a spoiled adult. I say this because my Dad is kinda spoiled... splurges on many things he doesn't need...

I don't mean to be disrespectful or anything, but this is my best advice. Just be sure to try to moderate everything, a balance is always the best bet.

 

YOUR GETTING AN 8 YEAR OLD A MACBOOK AIR?! ***

That kinda put it a bit blunt but come on , She'd be mugged within the first two days and if she didn't she'd spill something/break it etc. Even though you say she's very sensible etc can I remind you that accidents happen and with a macbook air its pretty obvious when the drink spills.

And it brings me to WHY DOES SHE NEED A LAPTOP?

The other day ( I live in the UK btw) I met someone who's 7 year old daughter had a mobile phone so I said to him "why" ? And he said she was so persistant for one but being 7 didn't really know much about the types so bought her one for £10 and she finds it OK. I havent a clue tbh about the australian schooling system but a laptop at 8 sounds ridiculous. If your going to buy her one buy an MSI WIND or maybe a cheap M1330 Refurb. Shes not gonna need the fastest proccessor , most ram etc. I think you just want to get her a laptop with a great design. Check Dell Outlet for the cheapest M1330 refurb and you might get a compromise.

EDIT: Does dell outlet exist in Australia? Sorry if it doesn't =[=[

 

Dell is Alienware i wouldnt touch it.

 

Guys, just lay off the the thread starter already. I think he has all he needs already, and hell, I know where he's coming from lol, it's so embarrassing to be poor when most of the people around you are rich, and he just doesn't want his child to go through it, I already think this thread has gotten pretty out of hand with the comments about his morals etc. It should be closed.

 

Let me start off by stating... I'm so broke that my water got shut off this week. I know the value of a dollar, and I've been picking up dimes off the sidewalk to help pay my phone bill.

Teaching your kid at a young age how to use a computer isn't a bad thing. My grandfather taught me how to type when I was 3. He was a research scientist, and knew that computers would be the future, even back in the 80's. My first computer was given to me by my grandfather, and it was a pretty outdated Mac SE. It was worth about $150 when I got it.

It wasn't about keeping up with appearances. It was about giving me something functional that I could educate myself with. I didn't feel like I needed the best either. I wasn't up to that level of computing yet.

Want a real good recommendation for a laptop for an 8 year old kid? Get her a Panasonic CF-34M. They have a small keyboard that would be perfect for smaller hands to type on, they are light weight, and if bullying is a worry for you, she can beat the kids up with her laptop. You can also get one for under $200.

I won't tell you how to raise your kid, since that is your business, but let me tell you something. I know almost everything that I know today because I was compelled to learn, and I learned how to fix everything that ever broke because I didn't have money to replace it. I would rather be the person I am today with the skills that I have (even with a pile of unpaid bills, and a looming electric shut off in two weeks), than to have everything given to me, so that I'm completely unable to function independently, even if it meant I had tons of money in the bank.

If you really suffered the hardships that you endured, you should know the feeling. You worked your way from the bottom up to the top, and while that doesn't mean you should let your kid have nothing in life, it should mean you should give her the same values.

 

Well,let me tell you 1 thing.My dad is VERY rich.he owns a software developing company that has offices in here,US,Russia,Austria.i doubt that my dad loves me or my sister less then you love your daughter.but I never got everything i want.i have a MB(which was my birthday and Christmas present ).my dad wants me to become a man myself,not with his money.I cant and i dont have a right to tell you how to raise your child,but you should know-getting everything she wants is not good for her.

 

I've tried not to interject my opinion, but I can't sit silent anymore.

There are COUNTLESS better ways to show your child that you love him/her which have nothing to do with money......spending quality time is #1. Make a pillow fort, color pictures together, have a tea party, play hide and seek. All of these will require you taking interest in your child which will demonstrate more love than materialistic possessions ever will.

Buying your child everything they want will only result in a very spoiled child who expects the world handed to them on a silver platter *cough*parishilton*cough*. You're teaching your child that LOVE = GIFTS and sadly the rest of the world doesn't work like that. How is your child going to feel when she goes to school and starts bragging that she gets whatever she wants and the other children make fun of her for being a spoiled rich kid?

Having said that, you have to decide what's best for you and your children, but make sure that you aren't making decisions for your child based upon your own needs and desires.

IMO, an 8yo does not need a MB Air. If you want her to have a Mac laptop, why not look for an older 12" Powerbook? If she demonstrates that she can take care of it, then perhaps get her something newer later on. Teach her the value of money, not that money is limitless.

 

congratulations on working your way to a very high paying job in spite of your grade school level english

impressive

 

But HD video editing is all the rage with 8 year olds today!

 

internet english and real life english are 2 different things lol but thanks anyway reps 2 ya

 

Well my parents did this differently then you. My parents also grew up with nothing (in Africa) and then were moved to England and slept in a one bedroom apartment with 14 people. When my parents got married they moved to Vancouver and now my dad is a lawyer and my mom is a doctor. We live in a great house with everything anybody would ever want. They love me and my three brothers very much, but they make sure we know the value of money. Everything we get is because we earned it. And if we just want something then we pay half or all of what it is worth.

I have saved up for 5 years for a laptop and have just recently become interested in a mac. So, my parents gave me a laptop that could barely run Word. I took care of it for 2 years and now with new macs coming out i will pay half and my parents will pay the other.

I think if you really want to make your daughter happy (from a kids perspective) you should instill in her the responsibility of having a laptop, and if she is really mature and understands then yes maybe she should have a MBA. You have the money and its okay to use it, just make sure she understands what a MBA is worth/responsibility involved.

Im sure you love your daughter gifts just given without meaning quickly become meaningless (i have seen it with very rich kids).

The MBA is a good laptop but only get it if she deserves it not just because you love her.

 

That's the reason why she wanted the mac air book for her video editing.

Seriesly my daughter does not spend all of her free time on the internet and laptop. She gets a lot of friends sleep over and does the same by going over to her friend's house blah blah blah.

She is well educamacated and socialized.

You know i grew up with nothing and had nothing not even a birthday present or christmas present from my own mother. I really don't want my daughter to go through what i have gone through.

 

well for what u have done in your life i would think you are a good role model. People like Paris Hilton (im sure ur daughter is nowhere near as spoilt or stupid ) are not good role models at all.

If you want her to turn out like you then you must teach the value of money and family. Or you can get her whatever she wants, and trust me she might not be Paris Hilton but she wont ever know the value of money she'll think having money is her right. Do understand that buying her so many things just because everyone else has them is not the best idea.

 

I went to a private school when i was 8, most of the students rode to school in nice new cars like merecedes, lexus, acura, bmw etc. I rode to school in a 7 year old mazda protege. No one made fun of me for that. If your daughter's friends are "real" then they should not care whether she even haves a laptop or not. I think you should spoil her when she gets older like paying for her college. The thing with kids is that they do not know the value of a dollar. The best way for them to find out is for them to get a job and buy all of their own things for a while. I have some younger cousins who get everything they want, and if they don't its becomes a nightmare.

 

I really hope she never finds herself in a crappy financial situation in life (or even an average financial situation: not being to buy everything whenever she wants it) because it will be HARD, much harder than for a normal person. Better work hard now so you can leave her a bunch of money when you're gone, she will need it.

I actually read through the entire thread because I couldn't believe some of the responses.

First of all, your reasoning for getting her such things as a MBA seems to change with every couple responses. At first it was cause she needs the computer for school, then it's because you need to keep up with the Joneses, then your wife told you to buy it, then it's because you were poor as a child. Which is it?

I grew up pretty poor and even though I am well off financially now I can say with certainty that growing up poor made me appreciate everything in life so much more, be it completely free or very expensive. I went to an elite middle/high school with a lot of rich kids. Sure, they tried making fun of me for not having certain things but it made me realize how stupid and ignorant people can be and learn that I had value beyond what other people thought of me or what designer label was on my purse. And I was the best student in my class, none of the expensive computers, private tutors etc mattered when it came to competing with me. It made me appreciate that things like character and intelligence cannot be bought with money.

Now I'm not saying being poor is the only way to teach these values to a child. But giving everything your princess wants to her whenever she wants it is probably not going to teach her anything, other than "Daddy has lots of money, I don't need to learn to do anything in life." I'd suggest that a reward system is a far better method. And I don't mean "Oh princess picked up her toys today, let's get her a new computer." I mean rewards for things that matter, things that will make her a better person in life. I don't think you're doing her any good in the long run by spoiling her rotten. You don't get something for nothing in life, you know that. Does she?

Good luck, tyronne, hope you do the right thing and hope she turns out to be a good human being when she grows up.

P. S. Just out of curiosity, what else does she do on the laptop besides playing the doll dress up game? I am honestly curious on this one.

Edit for Sam: The answer to that question would be a resounding "No."

 

it's the other way around. Dell own Alienware. Dell is not Alienware, Alienware is not Dell. they are 2 different company. I never fell regret of getting a xps1530.

 

being poor while everybody rich is a great experience. it motivates yourself to be richer than anyone that you have ever met. my parents used to put me on that situation. I learn great experience from that.
agree with everyone that buying expensive stuff for your daughter as such young age is not showing that you love her.

When I'm 18 and having no car, I move out, guess what is the gift from my parents? NOTHING! they can give me a mercedes if they want to but no & never they will do it! they want me to learn the value of money by working all the way to get it! become a man on myself is much better than having my parents give me everything I need!

 

Alright guys, there's been enough comments made now, I'm sure if tyronne is considering the matter, there's been enough comments already. Whether you agree with it or not, please just keep it back to the original topic, which was whether the MacBook Air, price aside, was a good idea for an 8-year-old girl.

 

I am eagerly awaiting the reply on this one as well...

 

Guys,stop this!

tyronne:I m sure you are a GREAT father and want all the best for your daughter!Just one last advice-keep the line between loving and spoiling
All the best to you and your daughter! Sam,i think you should close this thread

 

She is learning how to encode video for us and we are teaching her how to use AutoCad 2009 and stuff like that but she is not really into autocad.

She spends at least 15 minutes a day doing maths on computer - we got math tutor on PC for her. She really enjoy solving problems.

We don't talk to her like a child we treat her like adult having normal conversation so she doesn't sound like a typical kid her age. She's is very advance for her age.

She goes to ballet and dance classes as well so she is a very busy little bee.

I think the reason why i am generous to my little angel is because of my job - being away for long periods of time is very hard for all of us. When i see her at the air port i always make a habit of getting her presents.

 

@Everyone - In the AW forum I'm pretty sure he already told us that he purchased a MBA for his daughter. I told him that he should just get a macbook because the air is too expensive and it has some known overheating problems.

 

I am not one of those parents that will buy their teenage kid a total wreck and death trap as their first car. She will get either a new BMW or a Merc

Someone said i should save money up for her before i die? I have already arranged all that before she was born. Don't worry i will never let her go through life the way i did, I also spoil my nephews as well they think i am the greatest uncle ever lived.

I love my family that's the most important thing to me. When they all grow up they already have jobs lined up regardless of how they go with their education.

Education is very important but you could spend 5 years doing one job after you graduate and only end up earning pittance. The oil and gas industry is the best vocation to be in.

The best education to have is self education.

BTW Paris Hilton doesn't get hand out from her family, she earned every single cent herself. Don't put her down if you don't know her. The only mistake she made was dating some loser that sold their private *** tape.

 

Yeah we originally bought the MBA but it was the lower spec model and it was too flimsy so we cancel the order and bought the MBP instead due to your advice

But she is complaining the MBP is too heavy for her.

We are now reconsidering the MBA

 

Reading this thread is like watching a really bad reality show. I have a hard time taking any of this seriously. Between the little buttercup that gets everything she wants (but ONLY a BMW? won't the other kids make fun of her?) and an oil rig being mentioned as the best job in the world, this should almost be some sort of new reality show.

Then again, it seems like the OP may have just made the thread for the sake of entertainment. Either way, where can we get Season 2 preordered?

 

m8,ever heard of bill gates?you know how much money does he have?do you know how much money will his kids get after he dies?just 5 millions each,and the rest will go to benevolence.you know why?because he wants to his kids to become "a self-made-man".

 

lol a macbook air for an 8 year old? Seriously?

 

5 million dollars is no small amount. You could easily live off that for the rest of your life doing absolutely nothing.

 

Hence why I'm staying out of it

 

if you compare 5.000.000 to 54.000.000.000$-it really is...

 

Shes 8 years old... she should be out playing with friends, enjoying fresh air and getting exercise all day, not wasting her time on a computer... especially a 2k dollar computer. Computers at that age should be tools, not toys.

my god parents today.

p.s spoiled kids = train wrecks later in life when they fail.

Also at 8 years old you F.O.S if you really believe shes advanced.. I can't stand parents who talk about how smart their kids are at 8 years old and then a few years later they are just average like everyone else. Unless she is a absolute genius, recognized by some special society already chances are shes just developing a little faster and that will all even out. Little word of advice, being parental is ok, but smothering your child in undeserved accolades will only lead her to fall apart when she gets a little older. I saw it happen to my aunts kids, they were given everything, and constantly bombarded with people telling them how "pretty" they were... unfortunately they weren't that pretty and when they got to middle school and figured that out it was very hard on them.

Again, an 8 year old's job is to HAVE FUN and PLAY and INTERACT with people, not to sit around using auto-cad and crunching math problems.

You'd be better off getting her a jungle gym, or taking her and her friends on a special trip than just sitting her in front of a laptop.

 

I'll stay out of the parenting side of things.

I still think a MBA is a bad idea for a school notebook just because of lack of functionality. You should get something with a disk drive inside of it. How about a tricked out normal Macbook? Maybe a black macbook?

 

Best. thread. ever.

Mods, please don't close this !

I understand your situation, but giving her gifts all the time doesn't help anything. You said you went from a full maxed-out $6k m15x (why does she need so much power? the $1500 model would've been fine for her and she wouldn't have noticed a speed difference) to a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro and now you're reconsidering the MBA. You have to teach her that she can't always get everything that she wants in life, no matter how mature or respectful she is.

It'll mess her up when she gets older. You might not want to believe it now, but 8 year-olds are much more "open" to try new things and learn than someone who's five years older. If she gets everything now, I really can't imagine what it'll be like in a few years from now.

I know how a lot of parents wish that they can give their kids everything. Just because you can, doesn't mean that that's a good thing for her. You wouldn't have so many comments like this if it wasn't true. We're just trying to help you. Maybe you can get her a MacBook for her birthday? You can get her smaller gifts every once in a while, but you should save big stuff for Christmas and birthdays, even then you shouldn't get gifts that cost more than $600. Like I said, we're only trying to help you, you can take our help or not, but you should at least consider it a little more.

 

Lack of some basic features (ports and CD drive, which is used more at younger ages, as a lot of childrens software is CD only and not DLable) plus the sheer thinness of it (it won't be very durable, especially the hinges, which feel particularly fragile) make it not an ideal choice for an 8 year old.

MacBook is a pretty decent choice, especially the black one. Looks good, is fairly durable due to the black case, has most features that you need. However, it does weigh nearly as much as the MBP, so I'm not sure if its really worth it.

If you're comfortable with non-Macs, look at the Sony SR.

As for why an 8 year old needs a computer, I'm not sure. My brother (9.5 years) currently is using a....9 year old Pentium 3 machine with a 500MHz processor and Windows 98. The only notebook I would trust him with is my old (2006) Sony VAIO FJ....He doesn't need anything faster, so yea.

 

Agreed, Take a look at the sony SR series, much mroe versatile than MBA, laptops without optical drives are a dissaster imo.

 

Judging by your responses it seems like your already set to buy her a Macbook air. Many people have given you reason not to get it, for example, lack of ports, no internal drive, etc and other's have given you some alternatives, yet you still seem intent on getting the Macbook Air so just get it.

 

If she is anything like my 8 year old cousin it will be a jelly-filled notebook within a year! Every day a notebook spends with a child is a year off its life (the notebooks life). Get her one of those little EEPC things. They seem perfect for a kid.

 

yeah. i think my whole point is, that at 8 years old, she really doesn't need a computer at all. when she is a teenager get her a nice laptop. she will actually be able to appreciate it then.

maybe its too late. its your kid, do things how you want.

but my kids won't have any computer when they are 8 years old. they will go outside and play with other kids. the last thing i am going to do is give them reasons to not be social. however social they can and want to be, i will be there to give them the opportunity.

 

Thanks to those who complied, but unfortunately this thread has returned to the topic I asked to stay away from, so it will be closed. tyronne, I hope you've had enough opinions already to make a decision!