Video Games - Gillespie,IL

I have the same problem. My old man plays video games to and both of my kids play to. I just monitor the games they play and the time spent. Have you tried to get him to play a V-Smile the games on there are pretty fun and they also teach them a lot of good things.

I don't know how open to this advice you will be, but here it goes.
My advice is to join in! I am and always have been a gamer. Ever since my mom bought me the original nintendo! LOL! She has bought me every game that has come out since too. My mother and grandmother always used to play with me and it was my favorite thing to do. I had a whole array of games including Mario, Mortal Combat, Bubble Bobble, ect. My point is that I had some pretty violent games and I was an honor roll student. I kept a 3.8 GPA and I have never seen the inside of a detention room. Video games aren't as bad as they have a reputation for being. I just bought my 2 year old his first game system. Now they have quite a few educational games on the market. Try getting him into things like Big Brain Acadamy or the new Diego Game.
I hope this puts you at ease a bit. I'm sure I'm going to get slaughtered by the other moms on here for this! LOL!

Hello G.,

I think is nothing wrong to let him play video games, but it would be better and healthier if you set some boundaries. I mean that you should establish some time or days. My husband and I like to play games, and my 7 yr old kid plays as well with us or just with my husband (age appropriate). Besides playing outdoors, and doing other activities, my son has lot of fun playing these things! However, I do not let him play school days, just weekends or holidays and even when he does not like it, he has a time limit for playing and he has to take breaks. It is not very good for his vision to keep his eyes for a long time on the computer. Also, you may try to do other things with your kid so, he does not get too attached to these video games because they are so much fun.
Remember, he should be doing other things besides these games like reading, drawing, playing some fun card game..since we are still in Winter.
Good luck and be consistent with a schedule!

G.,
I don't know your husband, but I know how most men are, and there is probably nothing you can do to get him to stop playing all the time. However, I think you should make special efforts to find games you and your 4 year old can play together. Like hide N seek, Candy Land, build things with blocks or legos, make an "road course" with blocks and drive Hot Wheels around it. Then once we finally get some warm weather, play things outside. Maybe, if you can get your 4 year old to really get into the other games, maybe you can get your husband to play with you guys. Good Luck!

Hello G.,

I have four children so I know what you are talking about. My three year old seems to be the worst. You have to remind your husband that his son is following in his footsteps and that the video games seems to have taken control of your son. You want to keep in mind that your soon is not in the kindergaten yet so, he must have educational games as well as leisure games. Before gaming, set clear time limits and rules. You and your husband should decide what the time limits and rules will be. Remember to be consistent with enforcing those limits and rules. As the parent, you have the right to decide what games are allowed into your family's home. You might want to set parental controls if your gaming console or computer game has that option. Also, try alternate things to do like watch a family movie togther. I constanly reminded my husband how important it is to spend time with the family. He was a video game freak also. Instead, he started investing his time into other hobbies he liked, such as coaching, basketball,or football. I know the weather has been pretty bad around here lately but, when the weather is better encourage some out door activities. I am not a licensed professinal this is just my opinion. I hope this helps. Take care, S.

Please let your husband know that this is a teacher's worse nightmare. Limited computer time is good with an educational game but the others are good for their motor skills but horrible for their attention span. These are the children who cannot focus in school because it is "boring" to them because it moves too slow. Please start to wean him now or you will have major issues later and a child who will hate school.

Good luck,
D.

G., all of us parents face this "addiction" to video games, especially with boys - they are more visual and drawn into the games. That is why their dad sees no harm. Stand your ground with their dad, and stop at nothing to protect your 4 year old from unsupervised gaming!! Because there IS HARM, and there must be limits. He is only 4. Studies have shown that preschool children who are exposed to too much hi-speed screen time are more prone to become hyperactive and develop ADD and ADHD. My pediatrician says to be strict: 2 hours total screen time per day - MAX - PERIOD. You can let your son choose, whether it's TV or games. Set rules and stick to them. Another issue is that video games create such cranial excitement to their young minds, so that everything else becomes "boring" to them. My 5 year old is saying this now, only after he was exposed to video games from his older brothers. Since then, THEY decided to give up video games for lent. They have been having more fun playing together and doing more creative things. Children need time to play outside, be in fresh air and nature, to play ball, develop coordination and physical skills. My doctor says he forces his kids, for every hour on video, they have to play outside an hour. I see the other downsides of video games: it makes my kids lazy, and it makes them mouthy, talk-back and agressive. When they start back talking, I put them on video vacation. No videos and they have to earn it back. They have learned what the videos have done to their own behavior, and I see them accusing one another if they get out of hand. I also have huge concerns about content of the games. Be very cautious about it. The ratings mean what they say, but don't just trust them - WATCH the games and if there is any forbidden content, remove the game. Games are not ALL bad. They contain challenging puzzles that help them develop good problem solving. But highly restrict or eliminate games that contain alot of violence. I will tell you why. Ask yourself what your child is learning to do with this game. My opinion on especially the Wii games where they physically act out, if there is killing going on. You are allowing your child to PARTICIPATE in virtual killing of a human being? Children cannot separate fantasy from reality until they are older. As a parent, is this what you want their fantasies to be? It makes me so angry at game companies that they can find no better variety of content. That's why I am very careful what I allow them to play. I have thought thru all this because I have 3 sons, aged 8,7 and 5, and we have worked thru all this. I also limit all games that contain dragons, and any form of sorcery, witchcraft or spells - no matter how harmless it appears. I hope this helps.

J. B

Find things outside for you son to do with you. Get some sidewalk chalk, or a BIG bag of sand(sand box if u can) all the toys to go with it. Take him out for a few hours every day & you get down in it all & play with him. Show him that the outside can be just as much fun as the inside. If you have any trees in the yard, go to the $ store and get some clothes line string. String it up & make a fort with some sheets. Teach him hot to use his imagination. My kids love Video games but they also know how to have fun with out them. If you in to camping, start doing that when ever you get the chance (Weather permitting). State Parks are lots of fun. Hope some of this helps. :)

Buy him some educational games that hook up to your television. Tell him IF he wants to play games he must play those because they teach him things that will help him when he go to school. You should say something to your husband because the child will only do what he see.

Hi G...
I am a mother of 2 boys, ages 10 1/2 and 8. We've never had the video games in our house until the last year or so. I am not a fan of them and neither is my husband. My bro-in-law gave my boys a game cube and a few games. In our house, the gamecube and computer require permission from their dad or I and it's not an everyday occurance. It's special privileges. It may seem harsh to parents who let let their kids play them whenever they want. I think those things are warping the minds of our children! I encourage my boys to play outside and use their imagination, ride bikes, play with the dog, etc. It will be hard to make it a special privilege if your husband is a fan of it, but I would try that. Maybe "earn" video game time on a weekly basis? I'm sorry.....I just read your response...sounds like your trying! Hang in there and Good Luck.

try playing other games and activities with him instead of playing video games. Not only does this keep him off of the video games but gives him and you quality time together that he will enjoy. Talk with your husband about this and your feelings and try to get him involed with the activites also.