wearing us down

Charlie has been lobbying to buy an M rated game since last fall.  Not just any game, but one in particular.  It comes up in conversations regularly.  And ever since his Xbox experienced it's second bout of the 'Ring of Death', and had to be sent in for repair, he has been lobbying extra hard.

He continues to point out to us how MATURE he has become, and that he is really ready for an M rated game.  We don't restrict him from playing them at his friend's house, we just don't want it in OUR house.

Tuesday night he asked us to come in the office, and presented us with this:

(Okay, let me rant here for a minute...I started this post Thursday morning, and fully intended to share Charlie's Power Point proposal.  But it was created on Mike's computer, which has a newer version of Office than I do, and I downloaded a compatability pack to be able to open it up, and everything went to heck in a handbasket.  So while I can't SHOW it to you (and it will likely lose it's full impact) I will do my best to share it.  I won't be able to include the music...)

Screen one is a shot from the opening of the game, and across the front is says:  MODERN WARFARE 2
Proposal.

Screen two:

This is the picture in the background, the screen says:   Intro   You all know by now that I obviously want Modern Warfare 2, and I know that for you as parents it's a hard decision to let your child get an M rated game.  I understand that for you guys to let me get this game I need to show maturity, and on my behalf I think that I have done that.  So where you are reading this power point remember I'll always be your little boy.

Seriously?

Screen 3 has a black background, with the Modern Warfare 2 logo screened across the back, and it says:

Alright enough time off in dreamland let's get down to business.  As you will see in the video I'm about to show you, Modern Warfare 2 has blood but not as much as you would think from an M rated game but when shot blood will stick to things.  Also remember that there is no blood in the mulitplayer campaign because some goofball decided to replace it with money.  The graphics and game play are amazing as you will see so now I'm going to let the video talk.

And then he proceeded to show us a clip from actual game play from You Tube.

The fourth screen is a photo of an adorable kitten starting down at some money.  It says "I has a money.  What I do wif it?  BUY MODERN WARFARE!!

The fifth screen has a pile of money in the background, and states:  MW2 MONEY  I know for a fact that right now I'm a little "Strapped for Cash" and that Modern Warfare is $50 (YIKES!),  so I have a plan A and plan B.  Plan A is to do as many possible chores and money raisers as I can until the xbox gets back and if I don't have enough by then Maybe you could lend me the money to get it and I coudl work it off (smiley face emoticon).  OR plan B is if you don't letnd me the money that I just keep working until I have enough.  That is my money plan.

The sixth screen just has a giant question mark in the background, and says:  Questions/Comments/Saying you'll let me get it/Saying you'll work with money plan A/how handsome I am.

This kid has a future ahead of him-attorney?  lobbyist?  running an ad agency?

We didn't ask for a Power Point Proposal.  I guess he figured that was the best way to talk to business owning parents, since bugging us constantly about it for the last six months hasn't worked.

So we have agreed to let him get this game, with our own list of conditions and rules and such.  And a warning that if we see any attitude shifts that it gets sold immediately.

Think I will put it together in powerpoint ....