Why is my son weird?

jikado

Shared on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 09:09
    Why is my son the 'weird' one?
    My wife and I have had a lot of rules for our son, since the day he was born. One of them is; no videogames until he learns to ride a bike without training wheels. Originally, this was to include even just watching us play, but that part has long since been broken, but we remain solid on the premise. He's 4 years old now, and I expect him to master the two-wheeled challenge this spring. He's accepted this rule, though, mostly because, I suspect, he knows no different. We've done a good job as parents to make clear that there would be no leeway with this rule, and he's been very patient with it.
     Why is it, though, that others are so puzzled when my son tells them that he doesn't play videogames?
    My son recently returned from a vacation with his grandmother in Arizona, where they had been visiting her friends. He came back with a ps2 game they had given him as a gift. We gave it back to her, and even she was a little baffled by the situation. She told my brother-in-law about it, and he offered to give my son his ps2 to play it. He also seemed baffled.
    Not long ago, my son was at a birthday party for one of his older cousins. His cousin had a gamecube, and all of the kids there were playing. The parent of the cousin noticed that my son had not yet a had a turn, so interjected into the fray that my son should get his turn. My son declined, stunning the audience of parents that let their kids play videogames.
    Why is my kid weird? Isn't this what we're supposed to be doing as parents? Different strokes for different folks, I guess. All I'm trying to do is make sure my son understands that videogames are not the only way to kill time and have fun. I want to be sure he understands that there is a lot of fun to be had doing things that are more active than pressing buttons.

Comments

Lester_Ziggs's picture
Submitted by Lester_Ziggs on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 11:30
If only I had that rule when my boys were younger...as one of your relatives you can always be assured I understand 100% why the two of you have this rule.
meemoos's picture
Submitted by meemoos on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 23:09
my 4 yr old is no-where near riding and using pedals on a bike(he's 4). But...he can count to 50 and knew his ABC's when he was 1. As for video games, I bought him a Vtek and he's not gifted w/games.
rockcrawler69's picture
Submitted by rockcrawler69 on Thu, 03/22/2007 - 00:55
I like it. I like the idea behind it and that you are putting a positive activity as the goal. I think this a great idea.
CapnHun's picture
Submitted by CapnHun on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 09:16
Nothing wrong with that jikado. :) People have different values. As long as your relatives respect yours, you will be fine.
BalekFekete's picture
Submitted by BalekFekete on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 09:22
Nothing wrong at all with what you have working, albeit a bit different tactic than most parents take. From our end, we have instituted a "credit" system where our kids earn time for doing their chores, etc. that can be cashed in for "screen time" - video games, television, computer games, etc. One isn't better than the other - just different implementations towards the same goal. Look at it this way - least you don't have your 4-yr old kickin' your ass on the games. :)
Devonsangel's picture
Submitted by Devonsangel on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 09:38
Kudos to you for standing your ground. I hope your relatives can respect your stance. It sounds like your son is doing well by declining the offer. That is a credit to what you are doing!
NotStyro's picture
Submitted by NotStyro on Tue, 03/20/2007 - 09:46
Excellent rule! Good for you for letting your son get a taste of good physical fun/exercise before becoming another lazy, button-mashing, couch-potatoe timmie.

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