Husband calls wife 'selfish' for not spending $300 on son's in-app video game, sparking debate

Parenting often involves making tough decisions, especially when it comes to balancing financial priorities with fulfilling children's wants. For one mom, a disagreement over an expensive in-app video game purchase escalated into a major argument with her husband, prompting her to share her experience on Reddit. A 40-year-old mom, u/Few-Needleworker7044, under a now-deleted Reddit post, explained that her 10-year-old son had asked for a $300 'skin' in the game "League of Legends," per PEOPLE.

For those unfamiliar, skins are cosmetic upgrades that allow players to change a character's appearance and add animations or effects, per the outlet. "Normally, I am not a fan of buying things in video games, but since Christmas is coming up, I was willing to make an exception," the mom wrote. "I was thinking it would be around $25, maybe $50 at the most, and I could deal with that. But no. It was $300!" The price left her shocked. Although she admitted she could afford it, she felt the cost was excessive for something 'essentially useless' in real life. "With that much money, I could buy something physical that he could actually use," she explained.

The disagreement took a turn when her husband sided with their son and accused her of being selfish for refusing to buy the skin. "He told me to lighten up because it's Christmas," she shared, adding that their son didn't seem nearly as upset about the situation as her husband. In fact, her son called the situation "chill" and went back to playing as if nothing had happened. Her frustration grew when her husband continued to insist on making the purchase, even though their son wasn't pressuring her. "Now, if he threw a fit over wanting this skin badly, I would understand my husband's frustration," she wrote, "but that's not the case here."

The post sparked debate among Reddit users, with many supporting her stance and offering solutions. u/JurassicParkFood said, “I love video games. My kid loves video games. So we use video game currency to learn good money management, self-discipline and other life skills. $300 on a virtual trinket is insane. Not a chance." u/blues983 added, "You could buy 4 or 5 whole video games for that amount! I've never heard of an in-game purchase costing so much. Usually, they just nickel and dime you." u/k_svetle sarcastically commented, "23-year-old Gen Z, spending 300$ on a skin is insane and in this economy."

After reading the advice, the mom provided an update, saying she offered her son a choice between the $300 skin or several physical gifts of the same value. Her son’s response surprised her. “He told me that he ‘had no idea what he was thinking at first but now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t really even want it that much.’” He even shared that friends warned him the skin might make him a target for bullying, a detail she hadn’t considered. As for her husband, she acknowledged the need to address his reaction. “I will have a talk with him today,” she concluded.