There is a lot of talk about girlfriends and wives and neighbors reactions to D&D on this site, but I am curious about the parents. I am especially curious how the parents of those of us who are supposedly adults now with jobs, spouses, kids, mortgages etc... feel about thier kids still gaming. My parents give my husband gaming books every birthday and Christmas, so they seem fairly accepting of it. Is that the norm?
What about Parents?
- Thread starter Eeralai
- Start date
MerakSpielman
First Post
I hope it's the norm, but I know there are some really hard-core anti-D&D people out there, and some of them have kids... So you're bound to find some people here who don't tell their parents that they play, or whose parents disapprove, or whose parents have destroyed their D&D stuff. My dad was the one who ran my very first D&D game for me, so my parents are cool with it.
Torm
Explorer
My dad always says, "well, at least you never got into drugs or alcohol," like D&D is better than those things - but just barely. 
When I first started playing in the 4th grade, mom told me it was satanic, but bought me some books anyway, and told me I needed to keep them hidden from other members of the family. Makes sense, based on her other behavior. I'll have to ask if she still feels that way when she gets out of prison - in 2017.
When I first started playing in the 4th grade, mom told me it was satanic, but bought me some books anyway, and told me I needed to keep them hidden from other members of the family. Makes sense, based on her other behavior. I'll have to ask if she still feels that way when she gets out of prison - in 2017.
ThirdWizard
First Post
Like video games and anime my parents think of D&D as a kid's game, so they don't think there's anything wrong with me playing it at the age of 25, but they'd rather me be doing something more "grown up." Unfortunately for them, I plan never to grow up.
Lasher Dragon
First Post
Get this - my parents don't get it; I mean they aren't really against it, but I'm sure they could come up with "better" ways for me to spend my time. However, my grandmother is very interested in it and wants to learn how to play! I think it's pretty damn cool, it's too bad she lives a long way away. Perhaps I'll have to send her some books... I can see it now - no more gambling away at the casino, grandma and her friends are all getting together to play D&D. That would actually be awesome.
Turanil
First Post
Well, my parent despise this hobby, that indeed they consider for kids, and for stupid lazy kids at that. And I am old, with ex-wife and daughter... But they won't tell me about it (and I don't tell them about it), since they know I won't tolerate their comments. Now I will bitterly say that if as a child they had shown me something else than a dull and petty side to life, I would probably had been less fascinated by RPGs. Plus I wouldn't have had to spend so much money to the Psychoanalyst... Sniff...Eeralai said:
Rl'Halsinor
Explorer
Well when I first started playing back in the ol' 1E days my dad would just roll his eyes ands say, "you guys are nuts." My mom basically was silent. I guess what helped was when I introduced my brother and my friends to the game over a Thanksgiving break from college they devoured it. Nothing like having siblings and friends to back you up! There was a time period when we all went our separate ways and so we never even experienced the 2E version. Fast forward, and 2 decades later we are playing 3.5 and loving it. Now some of our kids play. And my dad, well, he's still rolling his eyes.
My parents don't entirely "get it" (after 23 years, my dad still asks, "so, who won?"), but they do understand that it's a creative and social outlet for me. In that sense, I've helped them understand that it's not entirely different from when they get together with their friends to play bridge on Saturday nights.
I'm sure it doesn't hurt that they've met most of my gaming friends, and find them to be fairly normal people. I'm sure it also doesn't hurt that I've been pretty successful in the rest of my life (career, marriage, etc.), so they figure I'm probably not being impeded by my gaming hobby.
I'm sure it doesn't hurt that they've met most of my gaming friends, and find them to be fairly normal people. I'm sure it also doesn't hurt that I've been pretty successful in the rest of my life (career, marriage, etc.), so they figure I'm probably not being impeded by my gaming hobby.
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