Why We Made Our 7-Year-Old Sign a Minecraft Contract
Minecraft. I know very little about this game, except that our son has been begging us to download it for months. It is one of the few times he has truly fixated on something for more than a few days.
After doing some light research and seeing that is a fairly harmless game, we decided to let him get the game on Leah’s iPad…
…after he signed a contract.
That’s right, our 7-year-old had to sign a contract to get and play the game.
The short document stated such things as:
- He would pay for the game himself out of his saving jar.
- If he complained when told to turn the game off, he could not play it for 2 weeks.
- He can only play for one hour on Saturdays and at other times only with permission.
- If we catch him playing the game at other times, the game is taken away for a month.
We read the contract with him and he signed it (after writing “I will agree”…how cute is that?), then gave us the money for the game. Leah and I also signed it (as “mommy” and “daddy”).
Now, at this point, some of you think we are tyrants. He’s seven years old. How could we possibly do this to our son?
Better: why would we do this?
Well…
It teaches him about responsibility. He is responsible for paying for the game and for checking with us for upgrades or other downloads.
It holds him accountable. He knows the contract, and we are keeping it posted on our refrigerator. He cannot claim to just “forget,” and things be okay.
It keeps us accountable. We signed the document, too. So, if we just let him get away with things that break the contract, it will chip away at our influence.
It is how things are done in real life. We sign our names to things all the time as adults. It is better for him to learn about this now with such a small thing, than to have his name on his first contract be for a job, rent agreement, or mortgage, where the money involved and level of responsibility are so much higher.
QUESTION: What do you think of this parenting tactic? Share your reactions in the comments!
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4 Comments
Yoshua Harden
I LOVE it!!! I’m going to borrow this for my girls. I stress the importance of covenant and being a covenant keeper and this lines right up. Thanks so much!
Jerrie Barber
We made contracts with our children: buying clothes (they were responsible for buying their own clothes within the budget), phone contract before cell phones, driving contract when they received their liscense, responsibility for going to bed at night and getting up in the morning, and other agreements when there was a possibility of forgetting. The only people who do not need to write down agreements are people who will never die and who will never forget.
And interesting observation: every time there was a disagreement about what was in their contracts, I was the one mistaken!
Wayne Gordon
I heard of a businessman in the Gallatin area who in years past was known to pick up a piece of cardboard, scrap paper, or anything he could write on, and make out a check to someone. It’s told that the bank would honor it!
It doesn’t seem that long ago when men could be trusted to stick by their word. Some contracts, as we understand them were not necessary.
Times have changed. Being trustworthy is no long the norm, rather an ‘option’ to some.
In this case, it’s not about being trustworthy. It’s not about a little boy not sticking by his word. It’s not a piece of paper to be held over the head of such a young mind. It’s a tangible reminder that God has entrusted us with many opportunities to stay within His guidelines.
Isn’t the bible a contract of sorts? Does not God’s will in written word appear on the pages? Does the individual who accepts Jesus as their personal savior not agree to a contract?
We think more about the word ‘covenant’, and perhaps it is a better word than ‘contract’.
Kudos to parents who find innovative ways to teach their children!
While some might find this out of place, have you ever seen a young child who wasn’t excited at the thought of being treated like a grown up?
Doug Watts
Great idea and artice. Last night I was talking to a business owner in our congregation. He is very discouraged by the lack of integrity and responsibility among his customer. He has been in business and has seen a sharp decline in recent years in integrity and people taking responsibility for their actions. Responisibility is so seldom taught in the homes of our nation. This contract with your son will teach him so much. Again, great idea.