Soccer Dad said:

I bought a PS2 when my oldest son was probably 5 and my daughter 3. I bought it mostly for me. I bought a few kids game (soccer, some educational stuff, etc) which they had fun playing here and there, but little interest over the years. It collected dust (I played it here and there but I've always been really BAD at video games)
Now our kids are active. Soccer, tae-kwon-do, dance, basketball, etc. So I wasn't too worried about the couch potato syndrome. But they talked about getting a GameBoy when the eldest was 7. So we bit the bullet and got the 5 and 7 year olds their own Game Boy and a few tame titles like Kim Possible, Crash Bandikot, and a few others. They served their exact purpose. Perfect for long car trips, rainy days, etc. But they would go through spurts of play then they'd sit on the shelf.
My eldest's cousin who lives next door was a video game fanatic. Sitting on the couch all day, etc, etc. His obsession was Pokemon. The books, the various gem flavors of game cartidges, etc. Our eldest, even though he didn't HAVE it, started talking about this Pokemon or that pokemon, etc. We resisted his pleas for his own pokemon game, but finally relented last Christmas and let him buy one with a gift card from his grandparents. BIG mistake.
Whoever designed that game really got into the psyche of kids. It's an addictive obsessive game. The kids want more and more and any time the 'train' a pokemon so it 'evolves' is like s huge event. No joke, if my eldest finds a certain pokemon he'll call his cousin to share the exciting news.
No, our eldest didn't give up sports for pokemon and ,in fact, notes how his cousin sits on the couch all day playing it and how he'd never want to do that. But our eldest plays the game constantly when he has free time. We try to tamp it down and limit him to an hour a day, but it's a constant battle. No other game cartidge he has gets used. Its all pokemon all the time.
I know he'll grow out of it at some point, but its a spooky thing how a game can be so infectious. One time I had asked him to turn it off like 4 times and he ignored me. So I took the game and shut it off… without saving it. OMG - you'd have thought I cut his left arm off - he threw a fit with a flood of tears the likes of which we'd never seen. Full blown 'I HATE YOU YOU'RE SO MEAN' that went on for like 30 minutes.
I've seen the same child lose championship soccer matches by a single point and not be this upset.
Now the daughter wants her own pokemon game for her game boy (she steals time on her brothers when she can) We want to say no, but she seems more grounded than the eldst and doesn't use her game boy that much. We'll see.
So overall - getting the video game system wasn't a big deal. The PS2 collected so much dust I felt guilty for buying it. The gameboys got used a fair amount, but nothing out of the ordinary until Pokemon. Now it's a harder struggle to contain the beast, but so far we're succeeding.
So my advice - proceed with caution. I don't think you can really keep them away from video gaems - they'll just play at their friends house. But if they find a game they really enjoy, it can be a battle to keep it from consuming them.
Looking back would I have done anything different? I don't know. If it's not pokemon it probably would be something else. Do my kids watch TV and DVDs a fair amount? Sure. But it's balanced by an active set of activities they also participate in. So it's balanced. If we've been at the soccer fields all day Saturday, I feel little guilt having them be veggies in front of the TV or gameboys on Sunday to relax.
Clear as mud, no? :)
30 November 2006 at 5:33 am
Oh, The Joys said:

There was a two year old on our plane home from Thanksgiving vacation WORKING a game boy. I was stunned. I'm with you… holding out as long as possible.
30 November 2006 at 6:45 am
crunchy carpets said:

Being that we are a video game and tv household…we couldn't really be hypocritical and say no.
I was and still am though, very careful about deciding what is ok for them to play…Adam is only four and most are too hard anyway.
But he loves to play with his dad and so we do let him play. But watch the clock.
He also has some computer games and being that they are vaguely educational…we are ok with them too.
But we make sure there is a balance….lots of outside time, lots of play with NO tv and so on.
It is a question of balance and finding activities that they love and so on.
30 November 2006 at 9:32 am
Domestic Goddess said:

we finally broke down a couple of years ago when our girls were about 7 and 10. I am really interested in the Wii. They have the kind of games that kids are actually standing up and moving - like they are playing tennis, running etc.
That would be a great mix of getting their game time but not being a couch potato.
30 November 2006 at 12:51 pm
Kaleigh said:

We held strong until my BIL gave us his old Playstation a couple of years ago (my son was about 5 then). We didn't ever buy any games for it and there weren't many that we'd let him play that the BIL had sent, so it didn't get used much. But we caved last year and bought a Game Cube. And my son thought he had died and gone to heaven. He does play…a lot…but he also still plays outside and plays inside with non-electronic toys and reads and pesters his sister. Many of his games are multiple player games, so my hubby plays with him a lot…and that's good bonding time for them, right? One of my friends limits "screen" time in general (TV, computer, video games) and that works well for them.
30 November 2006 at 12:58 pm
Plain Jane Mom said:

So many thoughtful responses — thank you all so much!
I've heard of this "screen time" idea before. Lumping TV, computer, games together and letting them have a certain amount of time for all. Is anyone out there doing that? Tips?
30 November 2006 at 1:17 pm
Anne Glamore said:

Read my current post - a gift guide for boys- which has a little about my media philosophy which is best summed up - the less there is, the better.
No TV or computer during the week, an hour each (however they want to divide it) on each weekend day. We use cheap timers from Target for them to keep track on the honor system.
Obviously there are exceptions. I'd be happy to talk to you about them (hint - I'm here in the land of American Idol winners!) but right now I have to tuck in the last one.
My twins are 8, the oldest os almost 11 and everyone's reading well and we go thru the Legos and stuff, so i'm here to say it can be done if you stick to your guns.
No car videos (even on long road trips!) either.
I know, I'm a hard ass! But we have fun.
30 November 2006 at 7:20 pm
Plain Jane Mom said:

Thanks Anne– I'll have to see how this plays out as the kids get older. I don't think I can have an informed opinion on all this until my kids are older and this becomes a more relevant topic!
1 December 2006 at 7:32 am
Plain Jane Mom said:

And Anne, I'm a hard ass too! Way to go!!
1 December 2006 at 7:39 am
L. said:

I consider myself a "hard ass" about many things, but TV and games aren`t among them. I always joke that while some people homeschool their kids, I "TV school" mine. I thank TV for my kids being able to speak age-appropriate colloquial, idiomatic English, which made their transition back here easier.
Games are like candy and junk food — no nutritional value, and some parents have zero tolerance for them. But our life has always unapologetically included all of the above. For us, balance is the key. How many hours are too many? There`s no right answer — but most parents can tell.
I did try to keep Bratz dolls away from my daughter, and succeeded when she was small, but relented when she was older (old enough to talk about why some people don`t like them).
2 December 2006 at 2:54 pm
Sandy Purdy said:

My five and seven year olds have Game Boys. My husband and I resisted as long as we could, but caved last Christmas. These things are invaluable during the times when you have to take BOTH/ALL your kids to the doctor at the same time. That 20 minute wait in the little room after the nurse leaves and before the doctor comes in is not so miserable now!
2 December 2006 at 6:23 pm

Leave a comment!