As a parent I know that a big issue these days is Video Games. Our kids are obsessed with video games, and in my home its a constant battle we have. In my kids’ mind playing video games is the most important thing in the world.
It seems like all my kid wants to do is play video games. Today I learned that this is not true though. What he wants the most is what he says he doesn’t. He says he wants to play video games, and says he would prefer to do that more than anything else. Yet, it’s interesting because when I tell him he needs to stop playing he complains; Yet when I spend some time with him he loves it.
One of the things that as parents we want our children to do well in school. We also want our kids to be involved in family life. The key to changing the battle between video games and school/family time is spending time with our kids.
Today I spent some time with my son playing two square (four square but with two people). While we played he laughed and had a blast with me. Afterwards guess what happened while I was cleaning? He asked if he could help! Wow! I didn’t even ask, he asked. And guess what else? When I let him know what he could do, he did with a smile.
In my work the smartest parents all say one thing: If there is something that really helps us as parents It’s Spending Time with Our Children.
In my next blog I will talk about parenting techniques that have been scientifically proven to help kids do better in school, with friends, and at home.
Love runs everywhere 
I tend to experience this a lot. Electronics are simply substitutes for what we really need, and not realize we want: spending time with loving members of our species. Video games will never hurt you. They will not let you down or leave you. These qualities allow people to mask the real world and create a much more desirable state.
You are so right, sometimes we use video games (television, movies, internet) to mask the real world and create a much more desirable state or as substitutes. Because children are developing at such a fast rate, they need parents to push them to also do other activities. As an adult my child reminds me the importance of spending time with the people we love, and when I don’t he reminds me how out of whack life can get. (I like video games too, but not like my son).
Thanks for the feedback.
this was a good read… my kids play lots of video games too….what i started doing was buying board games….for me growing up not in the video game era…board games were the best… you had that family face to face time…and you enjoyed it….so i found some of the old games…monopoly, sorry, life…and i enjoy them with my kids….sometimes i do the video games too…but a lot of that stuff is beyond my comprehension…lol..
Hope
Board games Rock! We play lots of them at home. We are going to add Battleship to the collection. Sometimes I play video games, but usually it’s overwhelming for me. But I know he enjoys it, and that it can be good for me to show interest in his life.
Couldn’t agree more. I always used to wish my Dad would spend more time playing with me instead of working. I think in the end I used video games as an escape because there was nothing more engaging going on around me. I hope I can make a better job of things when my son arrives next month.
My kids and I both love video games. We don’t overdo it, but I play the games with them. Even when I’m out of town and away from them, we can still play together on EVE Online.
That’s awesome that you participate in playing video games- I think that’s a great way to show interest and it gives you a chance to enter their world.
Even though I’m not a parent… This is a pretty good post… Good work! 🙂
I share a different perspective. Being a student myself who just graduated a Phd in Computer Science, I was never really motivated into reading until later on. However, gaming caught my attention. I built Fablelane to make it up to the world again, and to bring gaming and reading together like never before. Blaming technology is not the way to go. The two worlds must fuse. http://fablelane.com
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