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Dear Minecraft…

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Dear Minecraft,

I’m sorry to have to write this letter, especially after my note to the Claw Machine a few years ago, but a few things need to be said. After months and months, I cannot ignore it any longer.  

minecraft

I’m a mother and I’m concerned with your overpowering influence over my kids. They are obsessed with you. Not just a little obsessed but Kim-Kardashian-with-fame type of obsessed.  Honestly, I think they think about you day and night. My 4-year-old mumbles about fire spreading in his Minecraft homes in his sleep. That’s just not cool.  

Sure, video games can be addictive but it’s getting out of hand. You are causing rifts in my household. One minute the kids are playing perfectly together and then you happen! You weasel your way into their playtime and ruin everything. It becomes total chaos.   I never thought I’d hear my kids scream from the other room – “YOU BURNED MY HOUSE DOWN!!!” Yeah, that is a new one for me!  

I’ll admit that I don’t really know you. I haven’t done my due diligence and taken the time to really get to know you. Figure out your quirks. What makes you tick? Why the kids are obsessed with you. Maybe that is my fault? You’ve been courting my kids for months and I’m just not happy with where it is going.   I just think you are wrong for them. Sure, you could argue that you are all about adventure with friends and good for the imagination but you are also a troublemaker.

I have mom friends who have told me that they have desperately Googled “how to get rid of lava in a living room in Minecraft” after her son collapsed in tears that his brother had ruined his living space. Really?!? Lava in living rooms? I understand how one would see that as unique and imaginative but to a mom trying to break up an all out brawl between two boys over a lava filled living room, it’s just not cool.  

Sure, my kids can play you happily on the iPad and get along but that is really an anomaly. The majority of the time the Minecraft time ends in tears and me threatening them all that “I WILL DELETE THAT GAME AND YOU WILL LOSE EVVVVERYTHING THAT YOU BUILT!” And when my 7-old-year looks at me with those big blue eyes and says “You wouldn’t!” I have no choice but to growl at him, “Test me, buddy, and see what happens! STOP burning your brother’s houses down!”  

That is an absolute crazy conversation for a mom and a 7-year-old, wouldn’t you agree? That is why, I’m sorry to say, but I think I might have to ask you to stop seeing my children. Yep, I think the relationship needs to be terminated. I just don’t think they are ready for this type of up and down relationship especially because you come between them and their siblings.  

Consider this a break-up. Here’s how it is going to go down:

  1. I’m going to delete you.
  2. When my kids question it, I’m going to act like it was your fault and that you are the one with the glitch and it had to be done.
  3. We are never going to talk about you again.

I’d appreciate if you could stay away from their friends too so that I don’t have to hear about you that way. M’kay? It’ll just get weird when I have to explain that only our iPads have a glitch with you and soon their friends will experience the same thing.

I’d like to say it was fun while it lasted, but honestly, it wasn’t. Just a lot of tears, lava, fire and fighting.

Good riddance.

Yours truly, A Mom on the Edge  

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Jenn

Saturday 12th of April 2014

Minecraft is a great learning game, and one of the things your kids will learn is how to work together, and how to get lava out of the living room. We have a family minecraft server and have spent a lot of great times with all of us working together to build a project, explore a mine, and so much other stuff. It's a fun game, give it a go and play with your kids.

Deborah

Monday 7th of April 2014

Great letter, but I think the underlying problem is the amount of time parents let their children play with these games. It is depressing to see families out and all the children have their noses buried in an iPad or iPod or other smart devices. We need to set limits for their benefit. Don't think you need these devices to keep your children occupies for your sanity, so you can get things done. That is the worst mistake any mom can make. Kids are happier with physical and artistic activities. Take you family back and stop blaming the games!

Jennifer

Monday 7th of April 2014

I totally understand where you are coming from. That game used to cause so much fighting among my 2 older boys, ages 6 and 9. There were some rough patches, but I decided to check out the game and see what all the fuss was about. My boys both have ipads and it was never a problem when we would be out and about, but they fought when we on the wifi or at home. I discovered that they were in each others "worlds" and so I game them a choice. If they were going to be in each others worlds they had to agree not to destroy what had been created or we would delete the game. And of course there is always locking up their Ipad alltogether too via the "find my ipad". Thankfully they chose to "play" nice, but they know and are reminded that the game will be deleted if they attach each other creations. Some days they are in their own created worlds, but there are some times where they are in each others, but so far so good. Whatever works in your household.

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