I’m kind of embarrassed. I don’t know if I should admit this. You might think less of me. You already know about Magical Mrs. Marpingle and her Home for Wayward Boys. You also know I’m not June Cleaver when it comes to packing lunches or making dinner. Actually, I’m pretty sure there is not one single way that I’m even remotely like June Cleaver.
So, what could possibly be on my mind that is more embarrassing than feeding my kids hot dogs and bright pink yogurt for dinner?
The Wii. My kids are really good at the Wii. My three year old can beat most people at Wii Sports Resorts bowling. My six year old got 246 on table tennis today.
Part of me is proud. I’m proud whenever they do anything well.
“Super handwriting on your homework.”
“Terrific back float.”
“What a fantastic slide into second base” (even though the ball was still somewhere lost in right field and another teammate was still standing on second base and staring into space).
And the other part–a large part–is mortified. What does their Wii proficiency say about me and my parenting?
Isn’t it actually better than just sitting and watching TV?
After a long day learning and playing and socializing at school, is it so bad to relax with a video game before dinner?
There are benefits: Hand eye coordination is important. Concentration and focus (and it takes a lot to get 246 on table tennis) are valuable skills. Learning to be gracious winners and losers is critical for success in real life. Not that I’ve seen many signs of being a gracious winner or a good loser from any of them yet. Playing nicely, taking turns with each other, trying your best–all side effects of playing the Wii together.
So, there are worse things than being excellent virtual bowlers and ping pong champs. Right? Thankfully, we are a couple of years away from Grand Theft Auto or even The Sims. That’s when I’ll have to put my foot down.
In the meantime, I gotta run; I have to practice. I cannot let a three year old beat me in bowling again!
What do you think? Is it problematic that my three year old is proficient in video games? Or in a technologically-focused world is it good that he is so savvy already? Be honest. I won’t be insulted–promise.
