It’s a four letter word. Xbox.
Our kids grow up today gaming – starting with handheld games with big buttons and lights, progressing to hand held games, game cubes, Wiis and then,what was the turning point at our house, the Xbox.
That was the one that hooked ‘um. There are some pretty scary statistics out there around the time suck gaming is for our teens, and we all know its true, most every kid games, every day. I’m sure there are a few parents out there that refused to start down this path. I wish I was one of them.
I think Xbox is a gateway game to the big deal – building your own gaming computer – it’s really more than a computer, it’s an entire setup, a cockpit of gaming.
And yes, you can shut off the internet, remove keyboards and all kinds of other tricks to limit it, but it’s only temporary.
Thankfully my kids have other interests: sports, music and hobbies. I have seen all of these suffer in the name of gaming but thankfully they stick with them. I have to have faith that they will continue to learn to balance healthy gaming time with other activities and spending time with friends and family.
I think all of these gaming devices should come with DISCLAIMERS and if I could do it all over again, I’d be that parent. That stick in the mud.
Dundee Girl's Blog 
I’m interested in knowing what the biggest parenting problem is here? If the Xbox isn’t interfering with other interests and actually stimulating the kids to create their own computer (very impressive) then what is the actual problem? Just the whole sitting indoors shooting at computer characters thing?
LikeLike
I agree there is value and enjoyment in the gaming and the gaming communities. I think the struggle is I often see it impacting other areas that I wish they would spend more time on or take more seriously. It’s often a rush through other things to get back to the gaming. My hope is that they get to a better balance and as they get older it is harder for me to influence those good choices. It’s part of the growing up process for them I know but as a parent it’s hard to watch. Always enjoy your feedback!
LikeLike
Obviously it’s a fair opinion but I really hate to see the gaming world be dragged through the dirt by dodgy science putting it down just because it’s different and the subsequent misinformed opinions of it sometimes. Gaming helps to build on logic, hand-eye coordination and teamwork skills massively and isn’t intrinsically linked to violence or concentration issues. But I guess you won’t see that being reported on. I hope your kids enjoy gaming and their sports and hobbies together :).
LikeLike