Lisa's Side on the Wii
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ezra really wants to get a Wii--EVERYONE has one, you know. Think of all we're missing!
I do not want to get a Wii. Here are my reasons:
Eleven months ago we made a drastic change in our home—no tv for the kids. No PBS Kids, no Disney Channel, no Nickelodeon. No videos from the library, no Wiggles! Only two or three times a month for family movie night do they get to sit like rotten vegetables, staring and drooling at our television.
It took two agonizing months for the “can I watch TV?” requests to go from at least twenty per day to now only once or twice a week. The new “default” activity has changed from watching TV to picking up a book or crayons. Natalie has become a voracious reader. And even though he can’t technically “read” yet, Brendan can spend hours engrossed in books. And when they are not reading books, sometimes they actually play creatively. They use their dress-up clothes, food and dishes, dolls, trucks and lots of empty boxes to head off on some sort of adventure together. Often the adventures are a re-enactment of Little House on the Prairie, a series that Natalie has been reading (they have never seen the show). Playing creatively like that was rare when TV was an option.
Now why would we want to take these two “unplugged” kids and plug them back into electronic entertainment? They aren’t even asking for it. They do not know what a Wii is. Someday (probably soon), they will play it at a friend’s house, love it, and ask for it. We can think about it then. But as for now, we have a "no video games" plan for our family. And that plan is working just fine.
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7 comments:
Lisa, I agree with you. We never wanted to have a game system in our home either. My brother decided that was stupid and "surprised" my son with BOTH a playstation and an x-box one day - he even took him out for ice-cream and to the used game store to get some games.
We limit him to a half hour each day, but it's so easy to forget and let him play longer or if he plays with Scott - it goes on and on... Scott has bought him many more games (and a few for himself).
I regret so much not putting my foot down and making my brother take them back, but I had these 6-year old puppy dog eyes pleading with me to let the game systems stay. I really DO NOT like them!
If you do decide to get one, put big-time stipulations on what games you get for them!
Just my 2 cents.
I totally hear you, Lisa. We were a "no-video-game" family until our neighbor from Chicago ordered us a GameCube and three games because he thought Aaron would like it! He was right, Aaron loves it! But so do the kids, and as the "primary caretaker" around here, the responsibility falls on me to enforce time limits and game-playing etiquette! We quickly learned that Eli needed strict limits on video game time, so the only time he can play now is on Saturday, and only for 1 hour IF he has had a good week of behavior at school and home. It has become our ultimate bargaining tool because Eli will do (or NOT do) just about anything in order to keep his video game time. Even still, I sometimes just wish we didn't have the GameCube because Eli is just so intense and combative when he plays. It's hard to get him to come down off his "high" once he has played. It's definitely something to seriously consider if you've got a child who is intense and passionate about things like that.
Hi Lisa - I've been meaning to stop in and say "hi" and this is a good opportunity.
I was always a HUGE no video games in our house advocate . . . until I bowled on the Wii at my girlfriend's house one night. Four thirty-something moms working the pins until the wee hours of the morning did something to me and I gave in. Santa was allowed to bring us a Wii - all in all I am pretty happy we got it. I won't get other game systems, but the Wii is based on movement and group play. I like that. We did however get each child a game to fit their interests - and if Harrison were allowed, he'd play Lego Star Wars ALL DAY LONG - but we just regulate it. It's been a fun FHE activity - both Dan and I really like it!
Good luck on deciding what's best for you guys. And I had to laugh at your kids playing Little House on the Prairie - didn't we play that at Michaelson's with their outdoor picnic table as the wagon??? Fun times.
As much as I'd like my opinion to "count for something" I think the most important thing to consider is your kids and their personalities. Can they live by the rules you'd set for the Wii without major problems? I have one kid who can and would sit in front of the TV from sunup til sundown every day if I allowed it, and another who hardly watches TV at all.
That being said, you know we have a Play Station 2 with Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. We actually bought the kids a different game and they have NO interest in it at all. I think that's the appeal of the Wii (and what we tried to do with the games we picked - they have to be up and moving to play, which is a lot more appealing than traditional video games.) And they RARELY play the Guitar Hero and DDR lately. I guess the novelty wore off (and they are busy watching regular tv.) But we enjoy turning it on every once in a while for some family no-so-wholesome fun. (Yes, Allison sings along with "Shout at the Devil.") And we have FUN. It might not be bonding over doing something ultra spiritual together, but it is bonding.
BTW, we have a RS game night last Friday, and I took Guitar Hero. We had Sandi Nizetich playing. Jeanette took a picture, so now I have pictures of TWO RS presidents playing! Debbie Clark took the system home and I have no idea when I'll get it back!
Hooray for you guys! We have one small (loaned to us) tv/vcr combo that we stole from my mom's kitchen. It works for us. I am not a gamer either and I DON'T want one for our kids (I have seen tooooo many kids that can't do anything other than play or think about video games! I even have a nephew on Thad's side who is "addicted" (I'd say) to his game cube--he's only 5! Sigh. Sammy doesn't watch much TV but maybe I could change it to only once or twice a week! I usually :( only use it when I need to get something done inside and I can't get him to do anything else!
Lisa,
I totally have your back on this one. This is to make up for my husband's comment sexist line of reasoning on EZ's post. :) All kidding aside, I actually think that the Wii looks like a lot of fun and I am much more open to it that any other game system. I guess my thinking is that I don't want to complicate things any sooner than needed (like you say, I am sure the kids will be begging for them soon enough). Thanks to your example, we have cut down our TV watching in the past months and it has made a HUGE difference in our home as well. I am avoiding everything that may rock the boat. :)
Cousin Lisa,
I think it is amazing and wonderful your kids no longer watch TV! What an awesome gift you are giving them! I don't know my advice is for the Wii.. They are fun but can be very addictive!
-Meghan
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