Recently, we found out that our family will be moving. Hubby has a new job, and since, you know, we all kinda really love him and stuff, we’re going along with him. 
So we told the kids at dinner one night. Had everybody sitting at the table together and everything. He said, “Well, we have some exciting news. We’re all going to move to Colorado!“
It’s difficult to know what thoughts zip through the brains of children at a moment like that. For about two seconds, their eyes and jaws were wide open, and then… the questions.
“Can we bring the Wii? What about the Wii?”
Really? Wow. I guess it takes a looming major life change to expose one’s priorities. I suppose it makes sense that they would be concerned about their Nintendo. We don’t have any pets, due to allergies and asthma. I suppose the Wii is the closest thing they have to a puppy.
And I must tell you that the second thing they asked, after we assured them that the Wii and everything else in the house would be making the trip with us, was whether they could bring their friends. So it’s not like they don’t have any human friends.
It got me to wondering about the popularity of video games among kids these days. When I was a young girl, my favorite things were dolls, horses, a BB gun, and an Easy-Bake Oven. My brother collected Hot Wheels cars and played baseball. Other kids collected baseball cards and action figures.
Few families in my town had cable television back in the late 1970s, and almost nobody had a video game system. Now, lots of families have game consoles or handheld devices. My kids would play constantly if I let them. Does anybody collect baseball cards anymore? I don’t know. My kids don’t.
And before you judge me a terrible mother, you should know that my kids do enjoy playing outdoors and doing non-video game activities (when I make them), like reading, running around, getting dirty, building with Legos, etc. But video games are still their favorite hobby. I’d bet there are lots of other kids who are the same way. What’s it like at your house?
my kids will be sick without their computer games.
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Well, no kiddies here ! But I am the gamer and software guy in our family.
We moved again a few years ago and at that time I had so many cd’s that they were stored all over the place – closet, under the bed, the CD towers, shopping bags. I also have several boxes of books on various topics but mostly technology.
Anyway family decides on moving day and ask me to choose between books and CD’s. I chose to keep the books and was down to 2 bags of CD’s. Immediately after, I got me an external hard-drive.
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I have to limit the time my kids are on the computer and playing video games, especially my youngest or I think he and the computer would morph into one entity!
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I don’t think that you have to be a kid to love video games. A lot and I mean A LOT of 35+ year olds play video games, me included.
Remember those things called Arcades? I used to spend countless hours at the mall arcades socializing and pumping lots of quarters into the games. A large percentage of this 80′s arcade generation never really fell out of love with video games. Granted the primary demo for video games is males but I don’t think that females still only play with dolls.
Many people I know have bought game consoles for themselves and they don’t have kids. In my circle of friends. We all have Playstations, Xbox, Wii and whatever. And we are all over 35. Granted, the 35+ gamer is more interested in much more complex games, but I know a lot of 10-12 year olds that can smoke me at Guitar Hero.
It would seem they have much better hand eye coordination than I do.
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My daughter is FOUR and I made the mistake of letting her play on Noggin.com a few weeks ago…now its the only thing she wants to do! Begging me for, “Noooooogiiinnnn” like a junkie going through withdrawals. Ugh.
And no, I don’t personally know anyone who collects baseball cards these days.
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WHAT!! You are leaving!! What about our BSG parties…I already have a caterer. I had Viper and Raider shaped sandwiches planned…
I can’t believe you would do this to me.
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That is how it is at our house as well.
When I announced we were moving (pre Wii) my then 11 year old said “That’s fine, but I’m staying here.”
My boys love their video games, we have a game cube and a Wii…I have to limit them to weekends only and I’ve cut the 6 year old off for a bit, because I cannot stand his squeaking when things go wrong.
My kids love legos and I guess they collect those, and my oldest also collects Star Wars Miniatures and WWII miniatures. So kids still collect stuff…and it makes my house look cluttered.
It is hard for me to tell them they cannot play games, I love them too!
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Well, my son is only 2 and 1/2, but already he loves his Leapster. They are educational games on a small hand-held computer. I limit his exposure to tv and “the game” to 3 hours per day. Lately, since I’ve been pregnant, he’s been getting 3 hours a day because I’m lazy and tired, but before I was pregnant it was only 2 hours. I don’t think it’s bad for them to play video games, but I think the time they spend doing it needs to be limited.
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Oh… we have computer(s), wii, ps2, ps3, game cube, leapfrog, psp, nds… the kids love the games, and I let them play as much as they want, usually when they want.. what I have always found to be true is they run in spurts..they may play a whole lot on the computer/game system for a few days at a time, but then they want nothing to do with it for days at a time. My 7yo takes his hand helds everywhere (including the bathroom), but doesn’t really play them much. I did the same thing, but with candy when my girls were about 2 & 4… one Easter, I let them eat as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted and did that forever on… they never freaked about candy after that, never got sugar highs. Works for us.
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my son is almost 6, and can’t live without his Nintendo DS. He does collects cards and Ultraman action figure, but his bicycle is left untouched for about 3 weeks now.
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First congrats to your hubby for his new job and moving to Colorado! I would love to move there myself, well either there or back to Alaska.
Both of our kids are very into video games, but since we’ve gotten the Wii at least they are up and moving around. With summers sitting above 100 degrees and no pool out back, it’s been a lifesaver for our family. I really don’t limit their play time, but they do have to have their homework and chores done and just before going to bed they read. When it gets cooler, we get outside as a family and enjoy the cooler weather! 
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*Hehe* sounds like you have your kiddlywinks well trained on the path to the geeky way of life.
But as you mentioned if they don’t have a pet so I guess a Wii is the next best thing *winks*.
As for me, at this stage in my life I don’t have kiddlywinks myself. However when I was younger I spent a lot of time on the computer, not so much video games, more just playing around, breaking things (yea I will admit I am a true geek at heart *hehe*). Mind you I did not get out and do much physical activity lol so you are already doing a lot better with your kidlets.
Stuart
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My kids have a few friends who collect baseball cards, yep. And hockey cards. The girls are into collecting Littlest Pet Shop.
But yeah, they’d all rather play on the computer than do much else. I’m mean; I limit their computer/video game as much as I can get away with. It’s a neat world out there. Go experience it.
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Teenage boy….enough said.
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