Re: OT: Children and video games

Dan Sulani wrote:

> On 19 October, Benct Philip Jonsson wrote:
>
>> I'm sorry for this completely OT question, but since you guys
>> are my best friends on the net I put this question to those
>> among you who are parents.
>>
>> My six year old son has become totally obsessed with video
>> games.  He either plays sports games on the computer, or
>> watches sport on the TV, and has totally creased to play
>> in the more traditional sense.  We don't want him to play
>> *all* the time, but when we try to make him do other things
>> he flies into a rage. So my question to the parents among
>> you is: what is your parental policy on video games?
>
>
>
>    Speaking (typing? ;-)   ) as a parent, it seems to me that the
> key words here are "totally obsessed". IMHO, I don't think any
> child (or adult for that matter) should be totally obsessed with
> _anything_!  IME, setting limits is extremely important.
> The only question is how one does it.
>    Stopping someone in the midst of something fun
> is guaranteed to evoke a strong negative reaction.
>    IME, it's better to try and set limits ahead of time.
> (How much time will be allowed; how many levels of how many
> games,etc. Not forgetting to mention the penalties for
> trying to get away with more.) These decisions should be
> reached, as far as possible, by discussion with the child
> (it's possible, even at age 6 -- you just have to adapt the
> discussion to his level of comprehension).
>    Then you must enforce, not the "rules" like a tyrant,
> but rather the _agreement_ (part of which, as stated above,
> is what happens if he breaks the agreement).
>    This all has the added value of teaching him about the
> process of making and breaking agreements and the
> art of negotiation, things that will be valuable for him to
> know in the future!
That's a very good idea.  Thanks a lot!

--

/BP 8^)
--
Benct Philip Jonsson -- melroch at melroch dot se

         Solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant!
                                             (Tacitus)