We've been struggling with the video game question lately. And by "we" I mean me, of course.
Noah's use of games has always been what I would call educational, and what the media would call edutainment. That is to say, he's always played games that were learning disguised as a game or were games requiring a lot of thought.
But Aengus has really gotten into gaming lately, and not at all the same kind as Noah. Aengus prefers those first-person shooting and destruction games. It totally fits with his personality: the Transformer smashing up cars on the screen might as well be him. And though I see a little "educational value" in such games, I really have a hard time being OK with the hours a day he spends playing them.
There is an excellent post here (http://zajosa.blogspot.com/2008/04/problem-when-parents-think-childs.html), written by an unschooled teen. In it, Zach expresses the difficulty his relationship with his mother faced when she not only limited the amount of time he could spend on his favorite hobby, but also did not share in the excitement of his interest. He also vocalizes (rather succinctly) exactly how I feel about video games: namely, that they are misunderstood and undervalued by older generations.
Just when I felt at peace with a parenting issue, Aengus came along and shook up my views. Something tells me this won't be the last time he does that. ;o)
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2 comments:
I just came from reading that article and found it well crafted and challenging.
Raising a second (or a third) kid is kind of like getting remarried. *LOL* You think you've got things more or less figured out, then -- lo and behold -- you're dealing with an entirely different human being and the whole world changes. ;-)
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We're quite video-game-positive around here. I only really step in when the games start edging in on activities that I know the children need or really enjoy. It's hard to make a good decision about whether or not you want to go to co-op or ballet or swimming or whatever, with a controller in your hand and you're three guys away from completing a level. So I help with those decisions. But, I also give them opportunities to really play as long as they want, to get it out of their systems.
Of course husband and I are very big nerds too and we game after they go to bed! We're recovering Civ IV addicts!
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