My 11 year old son, John, has followed in his father’s footsteps ever since he was little and loved TV and his game consoles, he has an Xbox, a DS and a PlayStation, he was hooked on technology. This was fine. At first I didn’t care about his passion for games and television and we live in an age where this technology is prevalent, but it started to become everything that was important in his life – he didn’t want to do anything but sit and play I love my son and I thought that letting him do things his way, letting him do exactly what he wanted, was showing him how much I love him. How wrong can you be…
Recently, I really started to regret giving in to John and letting him have the consoles in the first place and then letting him play with them so much when he got them. I always remember hearing Sharon Osbourne’s children say “Why didn’t you ever say NO to Why do you let us have and do everything we want? Those children were questioning their parents’ methods of discipline, to me this says it all.” I realized that I had done the same thing as Sharon Osbourne (but on a tight budget). Kids need discipline and routine and I had been an irresponsible parent and let John have and do what he wanted. In the last year I didn’t he wanted to do much more than play with this technology. But it wasn’t his fault, we learn from our parents, right? It was definitely all my doing.
The guilt didn’t help me, I felt guilty about having to go to work and not being there to drop him off at school and pick him up. I think many moms experience these emotions. And you know I think my son knew? He is not a vindictive or unpleasant child, but like all children, he played on my emotions and tried to use this to his advantage, especially when he had his way and did what he wanted. he wanted to do.
As a result of technology: the consoles, the internet, and television, and me letting him become this way, he was obsessed, gripped by gadgets, and 3 stones overweight. He was so devastated, how could I let this happen? I was ruining my son’s future and health by giving in to his wishes. At first I didn’t know how to fix it, but I realized I had to find a way.
I tried everything and with a little tough love things started to get a little better but the whole house was miserable for weeks. John complied with my new house rules and we would spend more time together doing school work and what homework he did: he had a long face and constantly moaned. He, too, spent only an hour a day on consoles and watched less television. Instead, we put out board games, but all I heard was “I’m sick of it.” I felt like I was trying to get him away from a drug. We would go swimming once a week and go for a walk on the weekend, which we enjoyed, but that really wasn’t enough exercise and it was still apparent that when we were home we sat for too long. I realized that he wasn’t doing quite right. How could you stimulate and inspire him? How could you motivate and encourage him and spark his enthusiasm for other activities? How could I get him to move around the house instead of slouching around the house?
I went on the internet and searched long and hard. I was puzzled for hours, the PC screen started blurring and my eyes hurt. I really started to hate technology; it made me feel lethargic and exhausted. I began to remember my little boy who loved to dig in the garden and play with his cars. Walking in and out of the house, he was full of life and energy, his enthusiasm in such contrast to now. I walked over to the game console and picked up the wireless controller. What could I achieve that was similar to this that didn’t mean I was sitting in front of a screen? What could get him out of his chair and him jumping full of life? So then I fallen in reason…
I remembered when I was a kid studying an older kid on the road with his radio controlled helicopter. It had a cordless phone similar to those on game consoles. I hope you can argue that radio controlled helicopters were a form of technology, but it was technology without a screen or monitor and technology you had to get out of your butt to use. . I couldn’t help but think that this might be the solution. So I went back to the tech front (my PC) and started looking.
There were so many radio controlled toys to choose from: helicopter toys, radio controlled boats, radio controlled tanks, radio controlled trucks and bulldozers, and airplanes. John loved toy cars when he was little, so I decided on a radio controlled electric tank. When it arrived, I handed it over, instantly, to him. He looked at me, smiled, hung up the headset of his game console, took the tank out of the package, read the instructions, charged the battery and immediately took it out. I didn’t see him for hours.
Since then I have few concerns with John now; he is slowly losing weight and is really getting more fresh air and exercising more. He plays with his tank inside and out, up and down, adjusting it and fixing it if he breaks, takes it to the park and over the woods. I’m glad she likes his tank so much and is more active because of him: she still plays on his consoles and watches TV, but not as much.
I yelled at him the other day he was upstairs fixing his tank “Manchester United is on TV” I got no response so a little later I yelled “I googled where we are going on holiday this year come and see” he yelled at me” “Sorry mom, I’d like to, but I don’t have time to waste time looking for stuff on the internet. I really want to do this! I want to take it to the park because Carl got an r/c tank for his birthday and we want to fight.” He made me smile! Can miracles really happen?
I tried John’s tank and it’s an amazing feeling to master the moves, move it left or right, or turn it, it’s pretty fast! I had a race against Carl and he is amazing and so much fun! Radio control is great fun for kids and adults alike. We embrace technology in our house now, we need it, well I don’t know what I would do without the web, but none of us are obsessed with it. I think we have definitely found a balance thanks to radio controlled toys.