X-Box Taketh Over

I hate video games. Always have. Always will. But Bo is A-D-D-I-C-T-E-D and it is driving me CRAZY!!! Some mornings I swear he asks to play even before his feet hit the floor. Can I play Xbox? Can I play? Can I play now?

I know, I know, I'm the mom, take it away or limit the time, make him earn it, yadda yadda yadda, but I feel for the kid. We are on month 6 of winter and there just hasn't been a whole hell of a lot to do. I don't want to go outside when it's freakin freezing either. Sure, there is bowling, the library, ice skating, Fred Meyer & GlowPutt but none are easy with a 17 month old piece of Stuggle. Yes, stuggle. Half stubborn, half wiggle. Max is definitely a Stuggle.

Hmmmm, maybe one too many Dr Seuss books, you think?

Then came the Stuggle out of the blue

Dragging two boots from behind the louboo

Face with a smile, looking so sweet

But wiggling, thrashing, screaming, "me too me too!"

But I digress . . .

So, the way I see it, Xbox is better than watching TV all day (at least it requires problem solving and thinking) but worse than reading books and imaginative play. Plus, it is a great time occupier (Ok, maybe "time waster" or "babysitter" is more accurate) when I need to help Sam or Max, or clean the kitchen, or do 3 trillion loads of laundry or just don't want to build another fort.

It is also the one thing he thoroughly enjoys and thus the first thing that gets taken away when he is in trouble. He was grounded from it for 4 days a few weeks ago when he threw a ginormous fit when I asked him to turn it off. He screamed at me and slammed the door (3 days) and then kicked a shoe at me (1 more day). I probably should have taken it away longer but 4 days to a 4 year old is for-ever!

And those 4 days were a struggle. It made me realize how lazy video games have made me. Yes, ME. It was tough to be "on" all the time. I didn't realize how reliant I had become on them. They kept Bo busy and me less busy but for those 4 days I had to dig deep into my creative soul and conjure up fun things to do. It was exhausting. BUT we did it and I enjoyed "having" to put chores aside and play.

So for now, despite my love-hate relationship with it, I have come to terms with the fact that my son is a gamer and I'm a gamer enabler. (Wow, that's a mouth full) but have already forewarned him that once the white turns to green and the mittens aren't needed, the Xbox is NO MORE!!

Come on Summer!!!