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Does this anonymous mom's dilemma sound too familiar to you?
"My 8-year-old is completely addicted to video games. That's all he talks about. All he does or wants to do. He doesn't play before school and after school, he comes home and eats dinner and does homework. He is making really good grades, so I don't want to take them from him. And they aren't causing a problem, YET..."
I definitely feel this mom's pain. In reality for me (and her, it seems), the video games aren't quite a problem yet, but one can just smell a situation looming on the horizon. My son is only five and he really loves his V-Tech system. LOVES it. In theory, because it's educational there should be no worries, but too much of anything can't be good, right? As it is, he won't stop on his own when he's playing. I always have to come and rain on his parade. Lately, any and all down time is met with, "Mom can I play my video game?" Sure, a little cute now, but how does this story end? I've heard horror stories about kids' video game addictions.
Ironically, my mother is coming in town today and she's surprising my son with a Nintendo DS thingy. Here we go.
Is your child addicted to video games? What have you done to curb it?
Comments (11)
My oldest DS got a Leap Frog My First Computer and he LOVES the thing. He learns while he plays it, so I don't want to get onto him to much either. He walked up to me a few days ago and spelled, cat, dog, cow and pig. He learned to spell those from the leapfrog. What we're trying to teach him right now is to not have meltdowns when we say he's had enough time on the game and it's time to play with toys that dont' have batteries. lol I think I'm going to take a page from my MIL on the games, she lets my SIL and BIL's play their games for 1 hour a day on school days and up to but not over 3 hours a day on the weekends, after all their homework and chores are done.
My 9 yr old daughter loves her Nintendo DS. She had a PS2 but it broke. Not sure if she's "addicted" or not. She can't touch anything (video games, TV, computer) until homework is done. MOST of the time after homework she chooses to go outside since it's been so nice out and when she comes in I'll let her play either her DS or on the computer for an hour.
I think as long as they are doing ok in school etc why make to big of a stink? I do however know teens who do nothing but that they are bad in school they don't get out. But I think it's perfectly fine to enjoy something like that, it helps them relax etc.
Heck, my kids are 3 and 5 and stuck to their computers like glue! :0) Though, I'm not setting a very good example, am I? :0) However, at 5- my daughter can read and write, rather well. She can add and subtract without her number line with numbers through 15... and with her numberline, who knows! :0) My 3 year old knows his numbers, colors, alphabet and shapes... mostly because they love to play their games!
Both are experts on getting around on their kid websites and rarely need my husband or my help to get what they want going...and the baby can manipulate the mouse like nobody's business! :0) He'll be an addict soon enough.
As for being addicted and talking about it non-stop... that is a normal kid behavior. If it isn't the games they love- its a sport, a tv show, a special toy... you see it all the time! :0) Being a parent involves making sure they are exposed to other stuff as well.
as long as my son does what is asked of him, I don't care if he plays video games.
It depends--i have a nephew who is soo addicted to his DS-- If he can't play it he whines and cries about how bored he is--there's nothing ot do. etc. --It's annoying and thats all he did all Easter --I think its up to the parents to make sure its not taking over their lives.
I have one of those old fashioned egg timers that I set. when it goes off, it is time for them to get off of the game. If I feel they can play more, I allow them to. But if they don't get off of it when the timer goes off then they may be grounded from it the rest of the day. If it is repeated, then they get 2 days off of it, etc. They are FINALLY learning that it is better to be able to play it a couple of times a day instead of not getting to play at all.
How to handle games is going to vary for every child. It's a PRIVELEDGE, not a right, and they need to know that. If ANYTHING suffers as a result, games are gone.
Our 4 year old loves playing video games... but he is well aware that he loses the priveledge VERY easily. If he has an accident while playing and it's not from diarrhea, they're gone for the rest of the day because it's not acceptable. If he complains about any aspect of being allowed to play games (wants a different game very 5 minutes, wants a new game, wants us to do lots of it for him), doesn't want to turn it off with a 10 minute warning for bed, etc. it gets turned off and possibly taken away for anywhere from the rest of the day, to once a MONTH.
He also has to have his room picked up before he can even ASK.
For something like games, they are FINE - it's no different than TV shows, but actually requires interaction ... but the second they become a problem, take them away for a little bit.
I hear more parents say "I just can't get them off their Nintendo WII Gameboy XBox Cellphone etc" and the first thing I always think is "but you're bigger than they are... just take it away from them" LOL
My kids have a 5 year old Leapster with 5 or 6 games. My daughter got it at 5 (she's 10 now) and after a few games thought it was boring. She gave it to her brother. He's 5 and likes Sonic (math) and Spiderman (reading). He gets no more than 30 minutes a day ONLY if he's ready at 8:15 on the dot for school.
Whether or not he can actually play it is at my discretion. We, like pajamk above, use the egg timer to track the 30 mins. I use the egg timer for everything. My kids hate the egg timer.
After Christmas last year, my daughter got made fun of at school because she didn't know what a WII was. I told her and she said, "well... that's stupid" and walked away. Totally anti-tech, my girlie. We push a lot of go-outside-read-color-play-a-board-game-practice-taekwondo-cook-write-stories-etc with our kids. I hope that doesn't sound snobby, but there's nothing better than using your imagination and running around outdoors!