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Mother's Daze
Jill Kelley: Games are a fun way to spend time with family
Thursday, January 17, 2008
My husband and I finally gave in this year, and our sons got a video game system for Christmas.
We fought the good fight, though, and managed to hold off the gaming frenzy for a few years as we have watched their friends get drawn into that multilevel vortex, one by one, since preschool.
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It was really my husband who needed the convincing; he was worried that the 6- and 8-year-old would read and run around less if given the opportunity to play video games.
I was less worried. I figured if we agreed to limit the time spent with the games and make sure they kept up their other interests, it would work out.
Besides, I thought it might help our competitive tykes have a little more structure as far as the rules of their one-on-one games are concerned. Their "football" and "soccer" endeavors in the living room are much less like recognizable sports and much more like a 21st-century version of Calvinball.
But I can understand my husband's perspective. He didn't grow up with video games like I had. My brother and I still talk about the good old days in front of our Atari 6400, swinging on vines in "Pitfall" and blowing up enemy silos in "Missile Command."
And we still managed to play many sports and get good grades (well, one of us did).
But that's really what all games — video or otherwise — should be about: the fun you have with your friends and family while playing them.
We already play a good deal of board games at my house — Sorry, Clue, Trivial Pursuit for Kids, etc. One of my favorites to play with the kids is the old Life game.
The best part of that game is the reaction of the players to those little "life" occurrences.
What my sons choose to name their wives and their kids is usually worth a chuckle (and gives me a chance to hear if there are any girls on their minds), while their insistence on purchasing every insurance available so that "they are completely covered" gives me slight pause. (It also makes me think there are too many ING commercials on during SportsCenter.)
And it is interesting to see their priorities, like when they got mad at me for choosing $180,000 over having a daughter.
When I was growing up, in addition to the video games and many of these board games, everyone in my family learned how to play double pinochle.
When my parents were still married and my mom stayed home with my older brother and sister, she would teach them how to play the card game after school.
She even made up an imaginary player, Frank, who would help them learn well enough so they could play with my dad when he was home.
By the time I was old enough to play, everybody wanted a turn. We would all hang around the kitchen table, watching the game and spending time together. We got to know who liked to hold on to their aces, who was counting cards and who couldn't remember who was trumping a suit to save their lives.
In effect, we were getting to know each other in a fun, unforced way, and those experiences have enriched our families and our lives.
When the boys get a little older, I plan to continue that tradition by playing all sorts of games with them — card games, board games and even video games.
I hope that they learn, like I did, that there isn't anything better than having fun with the people you love.
Contact this columnist at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
