I have parenting flaws, some as large as the grand canyon, others small enough that even I miss them sometimes. I feel obligated to share these flaws because it's shocking how many people say I'm an awesome mom... So before you make that assessment anymore, you should know the following: my kids play video games - a lot of them. There, it's out, I've said it. Spare me the lecture I already know the studies and what I SHOULD be doing, I choose to let them play. Cody and Tray prefer Call of Duty. They happily sit there with the one working controller (we're down to only one because Marriela threw the other one when her character died on the game Assassin's Creed,, yeah should have taken that as a warning, I know)and engage in surprisingly lethal warfare with some invisible foe on the tv screen. They proudly announce their death/kill ratio and I cringe. People come to visit and find Marriela standing in front of our tv playing Assassins Creed, while her brother, Cody stands watch and repeats over and over "Don't kill civillians!". What those poor people must think of us as parents! Joshua prefers the computer to the Playstation. He will play Wizard 101 or go online and play hidden object games.
We found a long time ago, this house runs better when the children are busy. I would LOVE to sit and do a craft with my children, and when they were younger and there were fewer, I did. Developmentally the disparities began to become very evident. Play dough was not an option for Marriela or even Joshua with their sensory issues. Painting was a brief event at best unless you counted the clean up time after Marriela and Cody tried to help. To provide a sense of calm as we manage the never ending list of tasks that need to be completed daily, Peter and I have come to the agreement that those techies who invent this stuff are owed our gratitude!
Of course the games pose some issues in life. Cody was playing soccer and one of the team's players had a dad that showed up in his Army fatigues. Cody proudly walked up and thanked him for defending our country. As we turned to leave he followed with question, "Are you American or German?". Oops, those darn parents. And then there's the whole killing civilian conversation that Marriela enjoys brining up at the most in opportune times. Or the sheer pride in your son's voice as he shares his death/kill ratio with his summer school teacher - who stops and shoots me "the" look that says we shouldn't allow them to play those types of video games. Whatever!
In the end, I don't think my kids are plotting terrorist attacks against mankind and for the most part, they're well adjusted and appear to be socially appropriate in the eyes of most.
Oh do I feel better. Confession 1 down. Ah, but so many more to follow.
Til then, take care and happy playing!
Renee
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