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This. My wife and I are trying to have a baby. I often think how fun it would be to ride bikes as a family or go downtown to a baseball game. Or better yet go to one of his/her games. Sitting inside staring at a screen for hours on end is going to be very very low on the list of family activities. Yes that includes TV.
Got two kids myself and we play video games all the time together. Mostly Minecraft and a few sim games. We also do outside activities together. There is no reason to not do both. Just make sure you put a time limit to it. As you know, it is far too easy to let the time get away from you while gaming.
I can’t tell you how fun it has been to play Pokemon together with my 5 year old.
She has gotten much better at sounding out and figuring out harder words after starting the game. Video games are what motivated me to start reading at an earlier age and it has been fun to see that same trait with my daughter. :)
I love playing with my 2 year old, but sometimes I am not what he wants and he want’s his favorite movie, not Da-Da, and he is going to let me know that, very vocally.
Now, when he’s older I can pull the "Go outside and play" card so I can get some gaming in ;)
My son is 7 & plays in U10 soccer. Youngest & smallest kid (big for his age though) on the team. He asked me if for every goal he scored could he play Minecraft for an hour. I said yeah and was going to let him play anyway even if he didn’t score. He scored 5 goals. It almost looked like he had a full grown beard Sunday morning from playing all night. I honestly didn’t think he’d even score one goal. I think it’s a conspiracy.
When my son was 3.5-4 he got hooked on Sompylonghead youtube vids on Minecraft. Didn’t want to play, but just watch Minecraft on Youtube. Sometimes while doing work around the house I’d just let him watch for a couple of hours not realizing the habbits/addictions that was forming. It was like pulling nails to him to do something else like play with his legos or hot wheels which he used to love. So, now I force him to do both in equal time. If he wants to play/watch Minecraft for 30 minutes then he needs to play with his toys or go outside for 30 minutes first. It works and sometimes he forgets about Minecraft or youtube and plays with his toys.
It seems weird, but the reality of it is that video games and youtube videos of games provides more stimuli for my son then physical interaction with toys. BTW, long gone are the days of saturday morning cartoons. First thing he wants to do when we wake up is…Minecraft.
As a secondary thought, kids these days don’t really watch TV. If they have a tablet, or similar device, they will communicate with friends, play games and watch YouTube. So you don’t really have to worry about that.
Funny and sooo true. I just commented above about this, but yes. Long gone are the days of watching saturday cartoons. The first thing my son wants to do when he wakes up on Saturday is play/watch Minecraft.
I think this is true for teenagers and older kids too. I never watch TV. My younger brother doesn’t either. We watch whatever is on Netflix. It’s almost like we don’t have the patience to actually watch live TV.
The TV children that were the 80’s 90’s and 00’s are all but extinct now. Give my 2 year old cousins the choice between a tablet or tv and they will most certainly take the tablet. I was born mid 90’s and I never really watched TV. I was an LEGO and video game kid
Yesterday the kids woke up and played Minecraft for about a half hour after breakfast. And then a little later we all went to the baseball game. On the same day, can you believe it!
As we planned to have kids we worried about the extremes too. You figure it out. You balance it according to your values. And yes, there are times when the whining manages to beat principle. You’ll all live.
My wife and I are trying to have a baby. I often think how fun it would be to ride bikes as a family or go downtown to a baseball game. Or better yet go to one of his/her games.
I have two kids. We do all of those things, and play video games! It’s awesome.
You will find that most kids like doing more than one thing. Unless your family has a problem with addiction it is very unlikely your kids will willingly just sit in front of the computer for hours and hours.
Comments
These youth are going to do some awesome, creative things.
By lipscomb88 on 09.15.14 11:52am
If they ever get up the motivation to step away from their computers and into the real world.
By The Giving Tree on 09.15.14 12:31pm
It’s all real.
By fersheezytaco on 09.15.14 12:36pm
"They said, in the internet article’s comments"….
By Darren Treat on 09.15.14 12:38pm
This. My wife and I are trying to have a baby. I often think how fun it would be to ride bikes as a family or go downtown to a baseball game. Or better yet go to one of his/her games. Sitting inside staring at a screen for hours on end is going to be very very low on the list of family activities. Yes that includes TV.
By willwillywilson on 09.15.14 1:09pm
I don’t know, when I have kids, I’m super excited to play video games with them.
By garrison.neely on 09.15.14 3:18pm
I’ve got fond memories of gaming with my dad.
I’ll do the same with my kids, and I hope that they’ll do the same with their kids.
By cookies4you on 09.15.14 5:32pm
Got two kids myself and we play video games all the time together. Mostly Minecraft and a few sim games. We also do outside activities together. There is no reason to not do both. Just make sure you put a time limit to it. As you know, it is far too easy to let the time get away from you while gaming.
By Schnydz on 09.15.14 6:26pm
I can’t tell you how fun it has been to play Pokemon together with my 5 year old.
She has gotten much better at sounding out and figuring out harder words after starting the game. Video games are what motivated me to start reading at an earlier age and it has been fun to see that same trait with my daughter. :)
By myteoneo on 09.16.14 3:40pm
While I understand and applaud the sentiment, as you said, you don’t have kids.
The "ideal" and reality are often 2 different things.
When the child is begging, and begging, and begging, and begging, because their friends have it, and they feel isolated, etc. Your views might change.
By grking on 09.15.14 3:58pm
This, so many times this.
I love playing with my 2 year old, but sometimes I am not what he wants and he want’s his favorite movie, not Da-Da, and he is going to let me know that, very vocally.
Now, when he’s older I can pull the "Go outside and play" card so I can get some gaming in ;)
By raydnjames on 09.15.14 4:08pm
All about balance and moderation. Don’t restrict them too much, but also don’t allow a child to play videogames for hours on end.
By JRX16 on 09.15.14 4:44pm
My son is 7 & plays in U10 soccer. Youngest & smallest kid (big for his age though) on the team. He asked me if for every goal he scored could he play Minecraft for an hour. I said yeah and was going to let him play anyway even if he didn’t score. He scored 5 goals. It almost looked like he had a full grown beard Sunday morning from playing all night. I honestly didn’t think he’d even score one goal. I think it’s a conspiracy.
By MudBean on 09.15.14 5:07pm
His buddies are in on it. Smart kid you have there!
By Lynchenstein on 09.15.14 8:35pm
true enough
By grking on 09.15.14 5:59pm
This. I learned this the hard way.
When my son was 3.5-4 he got hooked on Sompylonghead youtube vids on Minecraft. Didn’t want to play, but just watch Minecraft on Youtube. Sometimes while doing work around the house I’d just let him watch for a couple of hours not realizing the habbits/addictions that was forming. It was like pulling nails to him to do something else like play with his legos or hot wheels which he used to love. So, now I force him to do both in equal time. If he wants to play/watch Minecraft for 30 minutes then he needs to play with his toys or go outside for 30 minutes first. It works and sometimes he forgets about Minecraft or youtube and plays with his toys.
It seems weird, but the reality of it is that video games and youtube videos of games provides more stimuli for my son then physical interaction with toys. BTW, long gone are the days of saturday morning cartoons. First thing he wants to do when we wake up is…Minecraft.
By Schnydz on 09.15.14 6:40pm
There, I fixed that for you.
By GodShapedHole on 09.16.14 3:35am
As a secondary thought, kids these days don’t really watch TV. If they have a tablet, or similar device, they will communicate with friends, play games and watch YouTube. So you don’t really have to worry about that.
Our daughter almost never watches TV.
By grking on 09.15.14 4:00pm
Funny and sooo true. I just commented above about this, but yes. Long gone are the days of watching saturday cartoons. The first thing my son wants to do when he wakes up on Saturday is play/watch Minecraft.
By Schnydz on 09.15.14 6:42pm
I think this is true for teenagers and older kids too. I never watch TV. My younger brother doesn’t either. We watch whatever is on Netflix. It’s almost like we don’t have the patience to actually watch live TV.
By Zeph824 on 09.15.14 9:31pm
The TV children that were the 80’s 90’s and 00’s are all but extinct now. Give my 2 year old cousins the choice between a tablet or tv and they will most certainly take the tablet. I was born mid 90’s and I never really watched TV. I was an LEGO and video game kid
By theawesome1996 on 09.15.14 11:02pm
It’s only logical.
Our grandparents read penny novels by candlelight.
Our parents’ generation didn’t read penny novels anymore; they had a new, shiny radio to listen to.
We didn’t listen to the radio anymore; we had an amazing 25" cathode-ray TV to watch.
Our children’s generation isn’t watching TV anymore; they have a great big internet to explore.
By GodShapedHole on 09.16.14 3:43am
Yesterday the kids woke up and played Minecraft for about a half hour after breakfast. And then a little later we all went to the baseball game. On the same day, can you believe it!
As we planned to have kids we worried about the extremes too. You figure it out. You balance it according to your values. And yes, there are times when the whining manages to beat principle. You’ll all live.
By RainingGlitteryMind on 09.15.14 4:03pm
I have two kids. We do all of those things, and play video games! It’s awesome.
By TK-093 on 09.15.14 4:28pm
You will find that most kids like doing more than one thing. Unless your family has a problem with addiction it is very unlikely your kids will willingly just sit in front of the computer for hours and hours.
By Saganist on 09.15.14 6:08pm