8:00 amStop
Jachin is addicted to video games. If we let him, he would play from the time he woke up until his body finally crashed 36 hours later. Because of this, I told him flat out several years ago that he would never have a Nintendo DS, or any other hand held computer gaming system that he could hide in his closet with and secretly play until his heart gave out.
However, this doesn’t stop him from asking over and over for one anyway.
This morning there was a commercial on (strategically placed between stupid Saturday morning cartoons) portraying children sitting outside together on a bright, sunshiny day, all holding their Nintendo DSes, their glazed over faces each playing a game on a tiny screen. This commercial drives me crazy; I want to yell to the children in TV “The sun is shining! Have your idiot parents buy you a ball!” But no, the children just sit there, oblivious of the other children around them, each playing their own game on their own tiny screen. And this, of course, is marketed as fun.
“Mom, I really want one of those!” Jachin says.
“I know you do,” I say.
“Please? For Christmas?”
“Jachin, if you had one of those, you would be just like those kids sitting there in a gaming coma. You would never do anything else.”
He formed a plan in his mind. “I would take a nice break every time the batteries died.”
Zoe jumped in with an assist for her brother. “Yeah, and since he would be playing it all of the time, the batteries would die pretty often.”
“Hmm, that’s true…” I agreed. “Hey, wait! I mean… no, you are not getting a DS!”
“Crap, Zoe,” Jachin whispered to his sister. “We tried.”
They are two diabolical masterminds, I’m telling ya.
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Those hand held game systems must be rigged with crack. Zack talks about his friend, Ocean (yes, like the Pacific), and how he has one, blah, blah, blah.
He said he would just ask Santa, like that would trump me and my small worldview. I reminded him that Santa likes to check with the house rules first otherwise we would have a pet elephant by now with Lexi around.
(The teamwork is swell though.)
Comment by Mama Milton — November 24, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
Ha, as I read your post, my husband is sitting in the background playing a DS. My brothers and nephews have the same affliction. It’s an epidemic!
Comment by kerri — November 24, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
My kids got them from grandparents, after many discussions of screen time & sunshine restrictions. So far, not too horrible…But good for you standing your ground! Best of luck
I, too, have a post about siblings today. Must be the full moon.
Comment by stephanie — November 24, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
Parley got a DS last year for Christmas. Just a few short weeks later he was done with it. I have to say that for a 6 year old boy he really doesn’t get sucked into the whole video game hype. He does love to play Halo, though, and could play it for hours when his dad does.
Comment by Sam — November 24, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
I’m the video game Nazi in our house. I can’t handle kids (or husbands) playing all day. I get it. The games are fun. I mean, I love Guitar Hero. I’d marry Guitar Hero if I weren’t already committed to Dave. But, there’s a whole world out there beyond the screen. We must live it!
I think you’re doing the right thing. Stand your ground. His funtioning brain cells will thank you later.
Comment by Leslie — November 24, 2007 @ 9:36 pm