24 Hours to Addiction

24 hours. That's how long it took to turn my precious eldest child - my only son - into a ragging video game addict.

For Ian's 5th birthday we decided to get him a GameBoy. His interest in computer and video games were undeniable, and he talked about getting something like an Xbox or Playstation with Heather and I quite frequently. Heather's apprehensive about getting a big console like Xbox right now, so we thought the GameBoy would be the perfect match.

Boy was it ever.

Last Saturday we had a dinner party to celebrate Ian's 5th and Emma's 2nd birthdays. Once again my family showed their enormous generosity and love for my children by giving them some wonderful gifts. Besides the GameBoy from his parents, Ian got a LeapPad, some new Bionicles, and a Spiderman themed Digi-Draw.

Emma got some great dress up stuff (which she loves to do), a new doll that is going everywhere with her, and new Barbie tricycle that she rode outside all day Sunday.

They both loved everything they got. Ian even announced later, after everyone had left, "I think I'll keep everything I got for my birthday!" Apparently he thought there would be some sort of exchange or return period following his party. Who knows.

But when asked what his favorite gift was, he responded emphatically, "My Gameboy!" Then preceeded to prove the point by wanting to play it constantly Sunday and Monday. Why I was concerned that Ian had immediately turned into some sort of video game junky and that his parents had started him on the path to pale-sun-starved skin and a fat, un-exercised body, Heather showed me that 1) he wasn't play the game constantly. He was spending as much time with the LeapPad (educational!!) and the new Bionicles (imaginative play!!), and was playing outside (exercise and sunlight!). 2) It's a new toy and very exciting for him. Give it a couple of weeks and the newness will wear off. Plus, he only has one game. You can only play that for so long!

Be that as it may, it was still alarming to see how quickly he became attached to the machine. He carries it around with him. He talks about it a lot. He's already asking for new games. It's frightening. These Nintendo guys have created Crack for kids.

So Heather and I will continue to monitor how much he plays, set limits for GameBoy usage, and make sure he's involved in other activities - all the things good parents should be doing - and things should turn out okay. Right?