I am thankful and very lucky that my daughter and I have a great relationship. It has come from consistent parenting over the years and being able to enjoy some of the things that she enjoys.
One of the things we do as parents is constantly complain about all the time our kids spend on these game systems. Yes, it can get out of hand and the kids never seem to want to quit playing. However, we as parents should take time to enjoy them with our kids too.
Yes, I said we can enjoy these games also. Of course, I am always busy with other things, but I make sure that my child always comes first in my life. I believe trying to enjoy some of the games and things she enjoys can only help the closeness and relationship we have built together.
My daughter, Nicole, has two game systems. She has Playstation 2 and Game Cube. Believe it or not I have actually played and done battle with my daughter on these systems. If you have two controllers and a game you can play with them, you would be surprised how much fun you can have.
It also makes you realize how involved you can get in these games, and maybe that will help you understand why these kids can get so addicted.
When you are playing you will be amazed how fast time can go, and then maybe it won't cause so much friction between parents and children.
Now I'm not saying to not set time limits or control the amount of time your kids spend on these systems. What I am saying is give these games a chance and spend some time enjoying them with your kids. You will be surprised how much you can really have in common with your kids.
I actually felt like a kid again myself, and at 46 years old sometimes that is just what I need to keep my relationship with my daughter happy and fun.
What's wrong with having fun with your kids? What's wrong with getting down to their level? It's just another way to turn something that is usually a negative with parents into a positive. Make these game systems bring you closer to your kids.
I also was happy how receptive my daughter was to me playing one of these games with her, and we had so much fun. Of course, she beat the pants off of me, but that was OK because we had fun together, and isn't that what it's all about?
Like I said before it doesn't mean to not set time limits. All I'm saying is get to know your kids and spend time enjoying the things they enjoy. Because let's face it -- these game systems are here to stay. You know the old saying "If you can't beat em' join em'.
So have fun with your kids, and get to know them better. You'll be surprised how close it can bring you to them.
Let's use these systems as a way to get closer to our kids, not a divider. It's just another reason to have fun and be a kid again yourself. Turn a negative into a positive and enjoy your children.
It will also make us understand where they are coming from with these games. I was shocked to see how time had past quickly. The other positive is that we talked before, during and after playing.
I used this as another way to get closer to my daughter, and what a blast we had. Try it with your kids and see how much fun you can have too!
We do battle with our children everyday; let's also do it in a positive way, thru video games.
Happy game playing!!!
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