My oldest son has asked permission to go with his friends to the midnight launching of Halo 3 at our favourite gaming store tonight. He wants to pick-up his pre-ordered copy of Halo 3 with his friends.
So the issue becomes; do I let my 14 year old, 5’11” 175 lb son leave the house at 11:30pm on a school night to go with his friends to pick up a copy of a video game? He promises to a) be home by 1:15am, and b) not to play the game until school Tuesday afternoon.
There is a ‘C’’ too. If I let him go he will let me play the game first. So far I have only committed to a "maybe - I'll think on it". My inner Mother is saying, "No Fracking Way!" which conflicts with my inner woman who says "DEAL".
6 comments:
Well I give him credit for asking, at least.
I would have snuck out and gone to the store on my own, my mom would never have okayed staying up late just to buy a game that (theoretically) you could get during business hours the next day.
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being out late with your buddies, especially when most of the guys are at home in bed is a sort of litmus test of manhood.
you say he's got a good head on his shoulders, and unbelievably, he actually asked for your permission here... let him prove it.
tell him he gets to prove, right here, right now... that you can trust him when he gives you his word.
otoh, if he messes up... he wears it for the next 6 months.
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I don't have kids, but over the years I've developed a lot of respect for the "inner mothers" of women who do.
:)
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c'mon... i've gotta know.
which way did it go here?
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He's lucky. My wife and I plan to ban video games, cell phones, and Instant Messenger from our daughter's life. We don't particularly care how much of a pariah it makes her at school so long as she turns out to be a reasonably literate one.
Digiteysed, good luck to you and your wife but the danger you run is not in making your daughter a pariah in the schoolyard but in alienating yourselves from her during a very difficult time in her adolescence.
My son had language issues early in school. Video games helped the process of literacy as my husband and I used them as a tool to keep him focused and motivated to learn. I also used the Age of Empire series PC games to interest him in world history. At 14, he plays guitar, reads approximately 2 books a week, and boxes at least 4 times a week as well being a full-time student holding down a part-time job. And I do allow him to play as many video games as his inclination and schedule allows. His last English teacher sent a note with his report card commenting on the quality of his English exam essay question – as in - the high quality of his essay on Animal Farm was simply unheard in an exam essay situation. I’d say he’s qualifies as a very literate 14 year old.
My point being one can be well rounded, literate and technically savvy all at the same time. Parents don’t have to go all Amish – the trick is learning how to use technology to channel, motivate and direct your child.
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