Sims 2. Rated W for WHOA!!
Emily likes playing The Sims 2, enjoying the virtual dollhouse aspect of it. We don’t forbid it entirely, but we do encourage her in other directions, since it’s rated T for Teen. She hasn’t played it in a while, which is probably for the best. She likes to make up imaginary expansion packs for the games that she plays (most of which actually are age-appropriate) and imagine upcoming DVD movies, like Enchanted 2 where everybody goes back to the animated world to visit.
We’ve had vague discussions about pregnancy and babies before. Last month, Emily finally asked about how a baby actually gets OUT of a woman’s body when it’s born. We had that discussion in the parking lot of a Target – you take your opportunities where you get them. Upon learning where the baby comes out, the smart and surprising question from her was, “What if a woman has to pee while she’s pregnant?” Believe me, honey, the baby won’t fall out. A woman has to pee a LOT while she’s pregnant.
These two things led to this little tidbit from my daughter in Starbucks today:
Her: “There’s a new thing in Sims coming. It’s an animation where when a woman has a baby, the movie shows the baby coming out of the woman’s genitals.”
Yet in her imaginary expansion pack “Sims Doctors”, also upcoming in Emilyland, there is pixelation over any bits of blood so you don’t have to see them. Shows where her priorities are. Blood? Horrifying and gross. Nudity? A-OK! Such is the world of a 9-year-old.
