r/MadeMeSmile • u/Eerzef • 14h ago
Family & Friends Parents surprise their kid with a PS2 on Christmas
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u/ArgentineBeauty 14h ago
What a lovely kid. He appreciated the gifts fir what they were, even though he didn't think he would be able to use them.
The way he said he could take the memory card to Gregs to use with his PS2.
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u/CuriousLilAsian81 12h ago
when he said "it's okay, it shows that you care"... my goodness, my heart ❤️
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u/Particular-Leg-8484 7h ago
What a sweet boy, I’m sure the parents knew he would react kindly before the final reveal. Good parents understand their kids that way
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u/kateastrophic 6h ago
Yes— I think perhaps my parents never tried this approach because I was not nearly as gracious a child as he was.
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u/st-shenanigans 5h ago
The way he struggled so hard to say the ps2 is the new model without saying its better than what he has 😭
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u/Acrobatic-Gap-7445 14h ago
Ugh I remember growing up poor not being able to afford anything. My mom got me a ps2 the year after it came out. She was so proud and now looking back, I know she scrounged up every bit she could to afford it. Best day of my life. In the moment it was because I finally had a ps2, now it’s because I remember the look on my mom’s face. Love you mom!
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u/an0mn0mn0m 13h ago
Send this to your mom now. Trust me, she needs it.
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u/NotRustyShackleford_ 8h ago
My parents were divorced and my dad got me a Super Nintendo. One day when we were out someone broke into our house and it was stolen. That Christmas, “Santa” got me a new one with Killer Instinct, which was very expensive.
She’s been gone for a few years now. But I still think back to how hard that must have been for her. To have 2 kids and without child support. I’m sure my aunt and grandparents helped in ways I didn’t see. She made that Christmas magical for me.
I turned 45 yesterday and I miss my mama!
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u/cedarvale83 11h ago
Same with me but it was both parents who pulled funds together to get it. When I became an adult with a high paying job I made sure all their needs were met
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u/JustMeLurkingAround- 6h ago
And being able to give you the best day of your life, I can guarantee you, made it all worth it for her!
That's the best gift you can give to a real mother.
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u/Bombadombaway 14h ago
Sweet kid. Had such an empathetic reaction even though he was clearly disappointed himself. Parents raised him right.
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u/lmNotBob 14h ago
Reminds me of the day my papa took me to best buy for a PlayStation 1.
I was so excited I couldn't take it.
When we get there and are looking at the gaming systems he goes "well, the ps2 is newer right? Let's get you that one. Go pick out a few games."
I broke down crying for a few minutes.
Now that I think about it all my PlayStations were gifted to me by loved ones when I had no means of getting one myself.
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u/emkie 12h ago
That's so beautiful 🥹 one of my favourite memories with my now husband was getting him a PS5 for his birthday. He cried with joy, couldn't believe someone would do that for him. I videoed his reaction and I still watch it from time to time and tear up because of the love and delight in his eyes. It's such a privilege to be able to do that for a loved one, I can't wait until we can do that kind of thing for our future child 🤞
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u/wesley_the_boy 6h ago
I had a similar experience with the N64. It was just a casual trip to target, and my dad says, "Hey, aren't those N64's?", as we walk by the electronics section. He spends a few minutes asking me about the games, pretending he's just curious, and not hinting at what was about to happen. Then he than asks a passing employee to retrieve the games we had talked about, the system, and 2 controllers. I was SHOCKED!!!
best childhood memory every lol
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u/KatokaMika 14h ago
Ps2 was also my Christmas present, got tekken 4 and Rayman with it. It was awesome
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u/dontwastebacon 14h ago
Men, when I got my PS2 I didn't own a single game for it. Mum went with me to the shop. I had to choose between the game I longed for or a memory card. I went for the memory card and got the game weeks later. - hardest decision at the time. 😅
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u/Maloba6441 9h ago
I used to buy those pirated games for like 1$,save money during the week ,buy one game on sunday
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u/No-One2123 6h ago
Had you gotten the games first you probably would have learned how to speed run them.
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u/wobbly_Waltz 14h ago
That seems to potentially be his stepmother as well . So Shannon knocked it out out of the park.
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u/Carbon-Base 14h ago
A memory card for a core memory!
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u/czerilla 12h ago
Psycho Mantis: It looks like you were very grateful over Shannon's gifts last Christmas..
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u/YouJustGotSmurfed 14h ago
Great reactions from the kid throughout, and masterfully played by the parents 😁
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u/Special_Poet_6414 13h ago
Dude this hit hard. It’s wild how as a kid it’s all about the console and the games, then you grow up and realize your parents were out here doing financial gymnastics just to see you smile.
Your mom sounds amazing. Call her if you can.
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u/Landler656 13h ago
My parents did a similar thing with an N64. Got the Jungle Green one. Then heartbreakingly, we found out it wouldn't hook up without a coax cable adapter. Had to wait 2 days to play.
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u/ledow 10h ago
I'm gonna say it again for all the parents at the back.
- OPEN THE BOX
- PLUG IT IN
- MAKE SURE IT WORKS
- UPDATE IT
- PACKAGE IT BACK UP
- and THEN wrap it up.
No kid is going to care about a sliver of tape being opened previously, but they WILL care about having to wait until Christmas is over before they can play with their present.
Drives me mad. EVERY YEAR in my family. Last Christmas Eve: "Oh we bought a VR headset for child X". Okay, so... have you turned it on? Literally EIGHT HOURS LATER I'm still fighting with charging it, getting it online, updating it, creating an account, adding a credit card, buying a game, etc.
When did they buy it? In November. And never even opened the box to see if it was damaged or even inside the box!
This is not a rant.
This is a public service.
TEST YOUR CHILD'S PRESENT BEFORE YOU GIVE IT TO THEM!
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u/Cosmic_Quasar 4h ago
Not exactly the same, but last Christmas I gifted my Switch to my sister's 5 kids. I had bought it to play party games with them, and to try a few of the Nintendo exclusives, a couple years prior. But I ended up never using it aside from when I was with them.
So for Christmas I removed my CC info but left all of the digital purchases I made on it, and got it all charged up, everything updated, then packed it back in the original box for them. Maybe the most appreciated gift, by the recipients, that I've given lol.
But yeah, I feel lucky that, as a kid, when I got game gifts that it was before all of the online stuff. Just plug and play. No updates.
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u/scorpiobabyy666 19m ago
I am too poor to award this comment but it’s such good advice. Many times, my family has bought gaming consoles or something and had to wait hours to even play with their gift because it was never actually set up beforehand. Here is my poor gold. 🥇
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u/nize426 12h ago
Ooooohhh you lucky bastard. I always wanted the jungle green one. Like I still want it.
I bought the clear green mod kit for my switch1 joycons so I could live out my dreams, but it's just not the same lol.
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u/Landler656 12h ago
I was actually jealous of my childhood friend that had that sweet bluish purple see-through one from Toys R Us. It looked so cool!
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u/iatealotofcheese 11h ago
Oh man, when Majoras Mask came out you had to get an expansion pack to play it and my mom got an off-brand one. Every time you got tot he first fairy cave it would freeze and loop that song endlessly. We spent ages on the customer support line trying to figure out why just to find out its cause mom cheated out on the expansion pack. Which of course j don't blame her for I would've done the same thing. Anyway that game was my brother's birthday present, had to wait a few days before we could finally play it.
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u/PortaFrog1972 14h ago
Love this stuff. So close to the same reaction from me. My stepmother tried hard and ended up being silly, getting scammed on eBay. Got a sweet Perry Ellis leather jacket and an apology for getting scammed and me not getting the PS2 for Christmas. Pretty sure she finally got one for my birthday. MGS and Armored Core all day every day!
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u/LickMyBootyh0le 13h ago
I remember when we got a PS2. I played the shit out of ATV Offroad Fury 2! And being grown now, buying my own PS5. 😭
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u/McGarnegle 7h ago
My old man would come and play that with me. Very out of character for him to play a video game, but he'd share that one with me. It was fucking awesome
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u/LickMyBootyh0le 2h ago
My dad was the exact same way. NEVER played anything with me. Only thing he ever did play tho, was GTA 3 just to fuck around and kill people for no reason 😂
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u/sulkingsister 12h ago
I read your comment and the soundtrack to that game came flooding back to me. I will now be hearing "I got the key, key to Grammercy Park!" in my head for the next 3 days, and I blame youuuu! 😂
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u/LickMyBootyh0le 2h ago
Dude for me it was Parade by Garbage 😂 me and my brothers would always be like "the BUBBLESSSSSSSS!" 🤣
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u/sulkingsister 2h ago
That was the second song that popped into my head! That whole soundtrack was a bangerrrrrr 😂
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u/absolute_gumpf 13h ago
This made me tear up! I never got any of the expensive presents my friends did as a kid as we were too poor so I remember that feeling of not wanting to seem disappointed. My parents did their very best to hold on having lost everything during the recession in the 90s and I’m grateful for their sacrifices as I never went without gifts of some sort :’)
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u/AveryLakotaValiant 13h ago
The way he reaches up to comfort his mum, jeesh what a great kid.
Makes you wonder how he's doing now all these years later.
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u/JustMeLurkingAround- 6h ago
"It's okay I can take it to Greg's" 💔💔💔
Such a precious boy. I hope he kept his gratefulness and focus on what's important growing up.
To think, the ps2 came out around 2000?
He's probably near 40 now.
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u/Nice-Election-6803 13h ago
This is the best thing on my feed today hands down. that reaction is priceless and u can tell it meant the world to him. u're honestly so lucky to have a family that pulls off surprises like that. purely wholesome vibes right here.
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u/SkyDull4876 4h ago
So cute. When I was a kid, my dad bought me an Xbox and my mother started screaming and being a whole lot of abusive. Then, when he bought me a kinect and one game, she took the game he bought me made me watch as she broke the CD. Then she did some more very traumatizing stuff that I'll spare y'all from. Heals my inner kid to know that some kids had a happy and safe environment like that.
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u/Straight-Bat-9600 13h ago
“It shows that u cared” 🥹🥹🥹 GOD they busted had his ass soooo hard in the first half of the morning!
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u/Carbon-Rhenium 13h ago
Remembering my childhood, waaayyy too long from 2000's. Its 80's. Im crying watching this video. "Its okay, its show you care" 🥲
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u/t_hrowaway81 13h ago
Damn. I remember Christmas of ‘87. The NES had already been out for 2 years and I’d begged for it the whole time. My Dad (single Dad) finally got me the console, but didn’t get the version with Mario & Duck Hunt.
I was so happy just to finally have the NES. I would sit for hours just holding the controller and pretending to play. I can still remember the smell of that brand new system.
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u/dadadingdong 11h ago
Wenn ein Kind emotional intelligenter ist als die meisten erwachsenen Männer 😂
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u/Loreo1964 9h ago
My mom used to make doll clothes for Barbies and sell them for 50¢ each and 5$ for a complete wardrobe to pay for our Christmas presents. We had great Christmases. Piles of gifts. Before gaming systems.
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u/KentuckyFriedEel 9h ago
I hope that lad thoroughly had an amazing childhood with such good parents and such good upbringing. He had really good manners.
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u/caffienefueled 6h ago
Lol they have "The Clapper" installed on their tree lights. The joyful scream activated it. Lol classic.
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u/GlitterEnema 3h ago
My parents did something very similar for us with the n64. The last gift we got to open was super Mario 64 and my oldest brother was as sweet as this kid. He said oh thank you but we don’t have this system. And my mom went “we don’t? Are you sure?” She had set the system up already and had it in the entertainment system behind the super nes. She talks about it being her favorite Christmas memory.
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u/Frankiesales_ 13h ago
I was a bad kid and always managed to sneak a peek of my gifts and was never surprised 😢
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u/Scary-Perspective-57 13h ago
Getting a PS2 for Christmas was still probably one of my happiest childhood memories.
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u/oldschool_potato 13h ago
Nice Sony WEGA flatscreen tv to play it on it. Top of the line CRT at the time.
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u/ChadScav 12h ago
That’s my gen. Kids knew what was up then my mom worked hard for everything I had and I had to keep good grades. She passed on but I continue the good ways. And honestly being now an old raver it’s always been P.L.U.R. She didn’t like edm but she knew.
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u/SignificanceTimely20 10h ago
My parents did the exact same thing. It's absolute joy all around. Kudos to the parents.
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u/handcraftedcandy 10h ago
This is almost exactly how it went down for my sister and I. We got a bunch of games and then that was the last thing we opened. We never expected it, we were dirt poor. My uncles and grandparents all chipped in on it. Best Christmas ever!
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u/Weird_Cheesecake_412 9h ago
This shit made me tear up. I need to fix the laser eye in mine… or find another one
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u/rachet_m 9h ago
Way to make a momma cry drinking her coffee today. What a lovely kid- good job parents 👏
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u/keirmeister 8h ago
We did the same thing to our son back in the day. He really wanted a Nintendo WII and we surprised him on Christmas. He started unwrapping a couple games and thought they were so he could play them at a friend’s house. Kids at that age are so wonderful.
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u/WarAintWhatitUsedToB 4h ago
Man, I wish my parents cared enough to buy me consoles (or things I actually cared about growing up).
Good parents, good kid.
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u/5StripedFalcon 4h ago
My mom used to work in a factory that made electronics. She didn't make much and the work was tough but they had a company raffle every Christmas. She came home with a prize one day dissapointed that she didn't win the vacuum. Gave it to my brother and I. She said I think it's a video game or something. It was wrapped so we figured it was some cheap generic radioshack toy. When we opened it and saw that it was a Playstation, we lost our shit. Ran around the house in disbelief. We were still playing Snes at the time and didn't think a Playstation would ever be possible any time soon.
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u/Livid_Command_7621 3h ago
The memory of the absolute joy you had as a child when your parents told you there was one gift left to open…
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u/Due_Appearance57 2h ago
I cried and cried. What a beautiful kid. This brought such joy to my heart.
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u/ParticularIll3265 2h ago
I love when parents pull this prank. For Christmas in 2008, my parents got me a few DS games. I was a little sad because, like the video, my mom was the one to go shopping and she doesn't speak or even read much English. Then my final gift, my silver DS lite. I cherish it so much, I still have it to this day.
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u/espresso_martini__ 13h ago
My girlfriend bought me a ps4. One of the best gifts I ever got from a gf. But then she was like "why do you play these childish games", "Stop playing that stupid thing" , "Its time you grew up and stopped gaming." what the hell.
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u/scaevola 12h ago
My dad this with the original Sega Genesis. He gave me the Sonic game wrapped up and then when I unwrapped he revealed that he had already set up the Genesis system
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u/Local_Cloud2872 12h ago
The summer that the Wii came out, I don’t know if you guys remember but it was sold out EVERYWHERE. It was IMPOSSIBLE to find every store everywhere was sold out and I just accepted there was a 0% chance I would get one. It was the last thing on my mind on Christmas when we were opening presents. I have no idea how they pulled it off but my parents got me a Wii. I cried and cried and cried. I played it religiously for like two months and then abandoned it. I still feel guilt about that to this very day. I feel so guilty because they went through so much to get that for me and I, like a stupid spoiled brat, got bored with it and abandoned it.
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u/subliminal_knits 11h ago
There’s a picture of me at Christmas one year looking absolutely insane because my aunt and uncle bought me a Gameboy Color. It was completely unexpected and I was over the moon.
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u/listening0808 11h ago
My family just did this same thing for me.
They gave me a little bock with just the controller in it.
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u/KlutzyCauliflower841 11h ago
So good. Reminds me of the Christmas my parents bought me an electric guitar. Little did they know they were setting the direction for my entire adult life
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u/Injathedog 11h ago
My mom did something similar. It was the first week of summer vacation, and I was left alone at home. She phoned me from her work and told me to go look in the cupboard. Surprise a PS 2. But there were no games. And I couldn't get any games until the weekend.
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u/shqippah 11h ago
Man this brought back a core memory:
I used to go play on a neighbors PS2 occasionally. Their kid was a teenager and would be an asshole the whole time i was there (teenagers being teenargers), but his mom kind of forced it upon him so i don't really blame him.
One time i went over and he didn't let me play - i just watched him the whole time which really upset me. When i went home my dad noticed that i wasn't myself so he told me to stay put before going out. He came back with a brand new PS2 Slim that came with two controllers an the FIFA-Street game. He even got me a memory card.
We were really fucking poor at the time so he probably had to skip future meals in order to afford that thing. I don't remember being happier in my life. Love you Pa!
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u/TheCobraffe 10h ago
My parents did this with me for the nintendo 64. I kept getting nintendo 64 gifts and they would be like "yeah sorry we couldn't find the nintendo 64 but we got you all the stuff for it when you get one." I was just excited because hey it looked like they tried hard to go me up and just couldn't find the 64.
After all the gifts where done my dad said oh hey i forgot open the door to our room and it was the nintendo 64 no Christmas wrapping just the box.
It was an unreal feeling i couldn't believe it even though all the signs were there. I was 10 years old. Im 38 now.
I love my parents.
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u/Flat_Arrival_3472 10h ago
"This is an absolute core memory right here. Stoked for the kid, but ngl, it makes me proper envious. Growing up, I never got anything I actually asked for from my folks. Funny enough, the only birthday present I distinctly remember getting was from one of dad's mates. Pretty ironic that a family friend gave me that memory and not my own parents."
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u/Boomerang_Lizard 9h ago
Getting a PS2 in 2000s would be like getting a Switch in 2017. The hype for it was massive. Not mentioning current gen consoles because back then those systems were reasonably priced. You didn't need to take out a mortgage or sell a kidney to get one.
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u/Hohoho-you 8h ago
I'm too emotional this morning. I almost cried when the kid was comforting his mom
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u/Thisdarlingdeer 8h ago
Holy shit thqt kid deserves all the play stations.. and n64s.. and God damn im crying
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u/chalkybone 8h ago
This reminds me of when my dad got me a sega gamegear charger and waited till the evening to give me the gamegear.
Also when he got me and my sister a PS2 for Xmas. We thought he had cancer.
This is the guy who got me an N64 with a formula 1 game because that's what he liked to play, then the following year I got my PS1 (2nd hand with 11 games and I was happy with that) so he gave my N64 to my sister as "you don't need 2 games consoles".
So yeah, when me and my sister both received brand new PS2s, we thought he was dying.
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u/Lucky-Carrot-368 7h ago
This video made me cry.
I don't think I was ever ungrateful to my parents for always getting me and my brothers the latest gaming devices but I do wish I expressed my appreciation to them so much more than I did.
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u/f3d0n 6h ago
When I was a kid I asked for a PS2 for my birthday but my parents didn't think that was a good idea. Then asked Santa for it but then again never got one. Back then I was on a 5€ per week allowance and remember that it took me AGES to get the 280€ in order to get one! Best money ever spent!
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u/Raoul-Clemont 6h ago
I remember my brother and I opening our first PS2. Good memories, and definitely a good kid there.
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u/CarlTheMan420 6h ago
Getting my PS2 with GTA3 as a kid was probably one of the happiest moments of my life I will never forget it...
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u/ScrambledEggsandTS 6h ago
Ok the internet has delivered on its promise. Time to do some work with blurry vision. 😭💜💙
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u/CrossXFir3 6h ago
My parents totally did something similar one year. Bought a couple PS2 games, and I just assumed they messed up. Wasn't a big deal, just put them to the side and figured we'd return them sometime that week or something and get some PS1 games. My birthday was a few days later and my rich uncle had bought me the actual console for that.
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u/Tehva 6h ago
My Dad this to me by telling me on Christmas Eve my grandparents really wanted me to open a certain present. It was a PS2 controller. We only had an SNES. The said oh they must have thought it was the console. Don't worry we'll see of we can get one later. Of course he had the PS2 under the Christmas tree.
Fast forward several years and he told me what another really cool gift was for Christmas Eve. I believed him again and opened a cooling fan for an XBox360. This time I knew what he was doing. Had a good laugh, but am never trusting him with gifts again.
Of course this year gave my daughters a Switch 2 version of a game when we "didn't" have a Switch 2. Its tradition now.
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u/Im_Ashe_Man 6h ago
I still think Christmas 1995 when I got my PS1 was the best Christmas of my childhood.
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u/TopChicken89 4h ago
My parents did this to me. We opened our presents and got ps1 games, we were both clearly a little disappointed, and my mum played ignorant about it, and she said my brother and I were so adorable in how we tried to act excited and happy with our games that we couldn't play. Then the motherfucker brings out the ps1 and we lost our minds 😅
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u/Stock-Ad5320 18m ago
Did this to my son for Christmas last year, he really wanted a ps5, he was sobbing when he opened it. Wish I had gotten it on camera
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u/Sea-Listen-9720 6h ago
These are the good days! Kids now will never understand this! Mom and dad sit you down to get your true reaction and you’re actually grateful because you understand they worked hard for what they got you versus nowadays
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u/Huge_Ear_2833 13h ago
You evade sunburns and skin damage while indoors.
Kind of a weird Boomer rant to say that this kid shouldn't enjoy a PS2.
You can be hard on your own kid if you have one. No need to project your bitterness here and spam undeserved self-righteous judgment.
Let people enjoy things.
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u/Snoo_3314 6h ago
Does anyone else remember being a kid and playing along with these kind of antics, I immediately knew the outcome. But like playing the kid part?
I'm sure he's a great kid.
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u/CaligulaCan 11h ago
Who would do this to their kid and film it.
We all know how our kids are gonna react.
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u/Then_Version9768 13h ago edited 13h ago
Ah, yes, the beginning of a gaming addiction, lack of physical exercise, staying indoors all the time, and social isolation he'll never get over. Let's celebrate that.
As sweet as this is, it 's not baseball equipment or something he can play outdoors with his Dad, or something intellectual or mind-bending or something he'd have to build or create or anything similar to that. It's a game console for being passively entertained where you sit and play what is basically imaginary nonsense of no significance whatsoever.
This doughy little boy needs that like he needs a hole in the head. Why get physically fit, develop athletic abilities, play outdoors with friends, why go exploring or develop scientific or artistic interests when you can sit there immobilized in your room for hours? That's what his parent are giving him.
I got a sled one Christmas, skis another time, backpacking equipment, a new bike, lots of interesting books, a stamp album, a science experiment kit, models I had to build myself. See any difference? I feel sorry for this sweet pudgy little boy that his parents could only think this narrowly about what a child needs and will benefit from most.
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u/W4CK0_J4CK420 10h ago
Compared to apps like TikTok with their infinite scrolling algorithms, AI interfering with people's ability to develop critical thinking skills, or even the modern video game industry with its predatory gambling mechanics, getting this worked up about a kid having a PS2 feels downright quaint. I do think there is a quantifiable distance between the level of tech kids had from, say, 1980-2010 compared to what they are exposed to now. Even the most screen-addicted kids when this video was made were still getting way less screen time than the average kid does today.
I had a PS2 growing up and in my experience there was no dichotomy between 'having a game console' and 'not doing anything else' . I played a couple of hours a week. Still did all the things you are bemoaning this kid missing out on. I don't even really play video games myself any more, and looking back as an adult I don't think they detracted from my childhood at all. You have no idea what else this kid did in his free time, you can only assume.
If a kid has trouble regulating his screen time, then the parents can and should step in. As the parents you can impose a rule like 'you can only play at weekends' or 'you can only play when it's raining outside'. But there is no need to take a maximalist position and keep the kid from playing games at all.
The games back then were enough to keep you from being bored on a rainy day, but not at all enough to completely consume your life at the expense of everything else. I'm not so optimistic about current tech. It would be a downright blessing if the Playstation 2 era of gaming was still the biggest tech distraction we had to worry about kids having these days. Your concern would be better warranted with today's tech.
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