A video game given or loaned? His mom wants it back
Editors' DilemmaOctober 28, 2026· Be the first to vote
A story made up by our editors to get the debate going, not a real account.
My side
My nine-year-old came home from a friend’s house with a game for his console. He told me, very proud: “He gave it to me, he doesn’t play it anymore.” I didn’t double-check, it’s a game worth about $30, nothing special. A month later, the friend’s mom texts me asking for the game back, because it was a loan. My son swears his friend said “you can have it.” In the meantime, he’s played it a lot, and the case got a little banged up. I told the mom I didn’t want to call my son a liar, and that the boys had worked it out between themselves.
Their side
The mom explains that her son never gives his games away, and that he asks for them back as soon as he lends them. According to her, a nine-year-old can’t give away a $30 item without talking to his parents. She isn’t accusing me of anything, she just wants the game back, even a little banged up. She feels my refusal is complicating a very simple story.
So, who's wrong?
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