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I want my Macbook Pro back

K

kevingaffney

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 17, 2008
577
54
Bought new macbook pro three months ago after fifteen years of pc use at home and at work. Still had a laptop and dell pc in house when my macbook arrived. I've three daughters aged twelve to twenty two, all very computer literate. Each of them thought I was mad spending such a shed load of money on a computer, even though I use it all day at work as well as at home.
To cut a long story short, all the other computers in our house are now redundant and the three daughters queue in the evenings when I get home to use my macbook. I can't get near it anymore until they go to bed. Anyone else have a similar problem
 
kevingaffney said:
Bought new macbook pro three months ago after fifteen years of pc use at home and at work. Still had a laptop and dell pc in house when my macbook arrived. I've three daughters aged twelve to twenty two, all very computer literate. Each of them thought I was mad spending such a shed load of money on a computer, even though I use it all day at work as well as at home.
To cut a long story short, all the other computers in our house are now redundant and the three daughters queue in the evenings when I get home to use my macbook. I can't get near it anymore until they go to bed. Anyone else have a similar problem
Click to expand...

So buy them each a macbook pro. Be a dad.
 
LOL my sister had that problem, so she bought her kids a netbook for christmas this year. They are not a Mac household, I'm just saying, perhaps you should buy your kids one of the $999 Macbooks so you can get your macbook pro back. ;)
 
kevingaffney said:
Bought new macbook pro three months ago after fifteen years of pc use at home and at work. Still had a laptop and dell pc in house when my macbook arrived. I've three daughters aged twelve to twenty two, all very computer literate. Each of them thought I was mad spending such a shed load of money on a computer, even though I use it all day at work as well as at home.
To cut a long story short, all the other computers in our house are now redundant and the three daughters queue in the evenings when I get home to use my macbook. I can't get near it anymore until they go to bed. Anyone else have a similar problem
Click to expand...

At least you've enlightened your family! I see this as an excuse to buy one of the "new" MBPs coming out later this month :cool:

Habitus :apple:
 
kevingaffney said:
Each of them thought I was mad spending such a shed load of money on a computer...all the other computers in our house are now redundant and the three daughters queue in the evenings when I get home to use my macbook. I can't get near it anymore until they go to bed.
Click to expand...
I guess it's safe to say that your daughters don't think it's a crazy idea anymore now do they? ;)

You might want to thinking about getting a MacBook or Mac Mini and let your daughters fight over that while you, the Dad, gets to use the new one. Also try getting your daughters to do all the house chores in order to earn the privilege of using your MacBook Pro. :D
 
EndlessMac said:
I guess it's safe to say that your daughters don't think it's a crazy idea anymore now do they? ;)

You might want to thinking about getting a MacBook or Mac Mini and let your daughters fight over that while you, the Dad, gets to use the new one. Also try getting your daughters to do all the house chores in order to earn the privilege of using your MacBook Pro. :D
Click to expand...

Indeed nothing is free! make them work for it.
 
This thread drives me up the wall. Here we go:

YOU are the father. THEY are the children. It is your MacBook pro and not theirs. Take it back and tell them they can continue using the existing PC's around the house, or save up and purchase their own. If in the off chance you decide they need one, don't waste the additional money on a MacBook pro for them. Ask yourself what they would be using the Macbook PRO to do PROfessionally if they had one. If the answer is "nothing at all" then a MacBook is fine.

Sorry if that came off as rude. Working at my local best buy, i can't tell you how many $2000 + MacBook pros I've sold to parents who are buying the computer for their 8-14 year old kids. I guess I just don't grasp today's standards for what it means to be a parent.
 
the1payday said:
Working at my local best buy, i can't tell you how many $2000 + MacBook pros I've sold to parents who are buying the computer for their 8-14 year old kids. I guess I just don't grasp today's standards for what it means to be a parent.
Click to expand...

Are you jealous because their parents buy macbook for their kids and yours didn't? Things have changed a lot. Grow up and smell the coffee. Parents now a days spoil kids with ipods, iphones, mp3 players. It ain't those days where you have to work and pay for your own toys anymore. I guess you must live through those old generations where parents make kids work to pay off their toys.

To the OP: Here are some solutions:

The easy yet expensive solution: Buy 3 macbooks for each of them.

The daring solution: leave your macbook at work.

The ideal solution: Make your daughters save up to buy it. If they are financially incapable to save money, now is a good time to teach them. Share with them your ingenious methods of saving money everyday (e.g., turning off lights when leaving the room, bring lunch instead of buying lunch, stop buying hand bags and personal accessories...etc). You have to do your part too (e.g., spend less $$ on stupid things like eating out, going to movies, alcoholic drinks, coffee at starbucks...etc). If they are making progress, don't be afraid to give them a bit incentive. Make sure they pay for the unit themselves. That way they will know how to treasure it.
 
the1payday said:
This thread drives me up the wall. Here we go:

YOU are the father. THEY are the children. It is your MacBook pro and not theirs. Take it back and tell them they can continue using the existing PC's around the house, or save up and purchase their own. If in the off chance you decide they need one, don't waste the additional money on a MacBook pro for them. Ask yourself what they would be using the Macbook PRO to do PROfessionally if they had one. If the answer is "nothing at all" then a MacBook is fine.

Sorry if that came off as rude. Working at my local best buy, i can't tell you how many $2000 + MacBook pros I've sold to parents who are buying the computer for their 8-14 year old kids. I guess I just don't grasp today's standards for what it means to be a parent.
Click to expand...

Wow, i would never admit i work at best buy on here.
 
Password protection?

In all honesty, it sounds like they need some Macs of their own. A Macbook of their own may be in order, but make sure it's clear to them they'll have to save up and buy their own. Perhaps you could offer to pay some sort of down-payment on the Macbook too to help them pay for it?
 
There are positives to my macbook pro being in big demand. At least I'm in control over what material they are all looking at on the net.
Unfortunately, economics at the moment won't allow for buying them a spare macbook.
Actually, this is a great way for teenagers to have something in common with their parents. It's amazing how many times in a week I'm called to have a look at something interesting they've found on youtube. It might seem daft, but it does raise new topics for conversation among us.
It's not all bad
 
I would sell the other pc's of the house and get them a macbook or imac. Even a refurb or used one. Maybe a mac mini to connect to the TV as they like youtube etc. Since the PC's are reduntant you'll save space and put the money to use.

As for the parenting advice some gave you. I don't have any kids as I am too young. I've always saved money to buy guitars, amps, pedals, recording equipment etc. You can reward your kids and promise them a mac later on.
 
Only prob Gabriel. If I sold the two pc's, two and four years old, I'd be lucky to get the price of a good night out.
 
Takashi said:
Are you jealous because their parents buy macbook for their kids and yours didn't? Things have changed a lot. Grow up and smell the coffee. Parents now a days spoil kids with ipods, iphones, mp3 players. It ain't those days where you have to work and pay for your own toys anymore. I guess you must live through those old generations where parents make kids work to pay off their toys.
Click to expand...

No, overindulgent parents spoil their kids with iPhones and MBPs, resulting in spoilt kids who are unaware of the value of money, don't know how to save their cash and expect to have anything and everything that they want.
 
Sell one of your daughters to pay for a new iMac which will keep them off your MBP and prevent such problems in the future :D

Or, check out the refurb store. Recently got a refurbed AEBS and its perfect
 
I don't necessarily think kids with iphones or ipods are necessarily spoilt.
My youngest two girls 11 and 17 both have ipods which were their Christmas pressies. That's all they got and i don't think that's excessive. My eldest has an iphone ok. However it's a 3g I was finished with when I upgraded to a 3gs. Hardly excessive either, I was hardly going to throw the phone away when I was finished with it.
 
tomjleeds said:
No, overindulgent parents spoil their kids with iPhones and MBPs, resulting in spoilt kids who are unaware of the value of money, don't know how to save their cash and expect to have anything and everything that they want.
Click to expand...

There are extreme cases but most kids will figure it out when their parents stop buying them things when they reach 13.

But again, there are also parents who want to buy the kids love. That's a different topic all-together and it is beyond the scope of this conversation.

To OP: It's good that you and your daughters found something common. Nevertheless, I would keep the 2 PCs and use them until they won't work anymore. Selling them will sink you into a debt hole as computers now-a-days depreciate faster than a doorknob.
 
tomjleeds said:
No, overindulgent parents spoil their kids with iPhones and MBPs, resulting in spoilt kids who are unaware of the value of money, don't know how to save their cash and expect to have anything and everything that they want.
Click to expand...
money actually has no value; a phone and a computer however, do. if i had a kid i wouldn't want them thinking that money is the all important factor. instead, i'd hope they could simply understand the principle of living within one's means. computers and cell phones give us access to the internet (education) and greater communication abilities. that's what's important, not the money you spend on it.

i think it's rather unfortunate that every person in the world doesn't have these things, and an mp3 player. (not to mention food, shelter and medicine)
 
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