unplugging our youth

my son, a wily, precocious almost-8-year-old doesn't own a video game system; he doesn't know what online gaming is; bottom line, he really could care less. recently, jakob started playing with my friend's son. my thought was, "awesome! jakob will have someone to get get muddy with in the back yard." oh, how wrong i was. this kid eats, sleeps and breathes video games and online videos. in fact, he can hardly have a conversation without having to run back and kill something. my son, on the other hand, was mortified. he was nearly begging to play, and the best this kid could offer him was a bird's eye view to HIS gaming. frustrated, jakob said, "i want to PLAY with you, not watch you play videos." ouch.

one, i realized my son is fucking awesome. he's actualized, he's intelligent, he's engaged. i also had a sad reality check about video game addiction and how pervasive it really is. saddened for the kid, i expressed concern to his dad. i was basically placated and laughed at. nothing pisses me off more than being invalidated when trying to deal with a serious issue. honestly, i felt like punching him in the face. i behaved.

parenting is a hard job. it's not easy to be "on" all the time, to be responsible when you're tired, or when you have something you'd like to do instead. i get it. for half of jakob's life, i was on my own. sometimes, it sucks. sometimes, you have to sacrifice what you want for what you need. hell, on occasion, people might think you're harsh for not subscribing to media persuasion (personally, i call it active parenting, but hey, what the hell, right?!). is it worth it? hell yes. it became more than evident how worth it is today, when my son stuck to his guns (no pun intended) and stood up for what he believed in. unplugging my boy was one of the better choices i've made. yes, he can still watch a bit of the telly, but an hour a week is better than 3 hours a day. in fact, taking tv away is hardly punishment. he doesn't even know the difference.