Posts tagged parenting

I love a study that tells me what I want to hear. Really, I do. And here’s a great one about video games! It shatters-shatters!-stereotypes. Video games are probably one of the most fretted about things in the life of a parent these days. The violence, the time “wasted,” the lack of social interaction, the murderous toddlers, etc. But, lookie:

Major New Study Shatters Stereotypes About Teens and Video Games

Game playing is universal, diverse, often involves social interaction, and can cultivate teen civic engagement

…

“We need to focus less on how much time kids spend playing video games and pay more attention to the kinds of experiences they have while playing them,” noted Prof. Joseph Kahne, Director of the Civic Engagement Research Group at Mills College, and co-author of the report.

Does this study make me believe that it’s ok for an 8 year old to play Grand Theft Auto? No. Nothing will convince me that that’s ok. I guess I’m just traditional in the sense that I think 8 year olds should learn about bl0w jobs and h00kers the old-fashioned way. You know, by seeing their favorite college football player get arrested for that kind of thing. Check out this post about the GTA issue (and for some great links for parents) and make sure you read the wisdom and whack-jobbery in the comments section.

I’m not huge on controlling the screen time around here, but that’s not to say that I don’t have anxiety about it. If I feel anxious, though, I usually try to engage them in other activities rather than arbitrarily tell them to turn it off. I also feel better when I really look at how they’re playing. Lena and Liberty interact with each other in a pleasant way when they’re sharing a video game. They help each other along the way, and they compete in a fun way instead of in an obnoxious resentful-of-each-other way. I also remind myself that it’s ok if “play” looks different than it did 30 years ago. It’s ok. And if none of that works to take away my anxiety, I just scream, “TURN IT OFF! YOU’RE ROTTING YOUR BRAIN!” until they cry. It’s not a perfect system.

A couple of months ago, there was a Mario Kart DS tournament at a local library. It was for ages 10 and up, but I tried to sneak my 9 year olds in. (I’m a rebel because of all that Atari I played in the 80s.) I tried to sneak them in, but I couldn’t come right out and lie when the library lady asked how old they were. I said very hopefully, “They’re in 4th grade and they’ll be 10 next April,” It didn’t work because she was an educated woman and she very patiently said, “It’s for 10 and UP, not 10 and UNDER.” And then she showed me a number line and demonstrated how 9 is LESS THAN 10. Library workers are so patient with the differently-abled. So Lena and Liberty were allowed to stay and watch, but only their 10-year-old cousin and 11-year-old friend were able to be part of the tournament.

When we walked into the tournament room, I was immediately afraid. Because of the teenagers. There’s something about a bunch of gaming teens that makes me scared. But then a couple of the teens spotted Lena’s Naruto skin on her DS and struck up a conversation with her about all things Naruto and DS. And when the tournament started, the bigger kids proceeded to root for and help out the 11 year old and 10 year old. They weren’t a bunch of murderous douche bags! And now I have a study to help me understand why.

Do I wish Lena and Liberty would play more card games with me? Of course. But they find it booooriiinnngggg *whine, stomp*! On the flip side, do they wish I would play more video games with them? Yes. But there are so many buutttonnnnnss! Do I need to realize that there is no point to family game night if I’m only building bad, boring memories for the children? Um, yeah, that might be good. Do I need to realize that family game night can include family video games? Uh-huh. Do I need a Wii? Yes, please. The study proves it.