Matthew Lindley
Larkfield, Aylesford
Kent
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Laurence Gillespie wrote: ThatNiceMan wrote: Some have said that games consoles are a problem. I couldn't disagree more. The games console is only the medium on which the game is played. Some prefer a board and counters, some prefer controller and TV. Just as when a child has a favourite game such as FIFA, Burnout or Pinball FX and the parent shows no interest because "it's a computer game" or "I find all the buttons on the controller confusing" then it's no different from the child (or any adult) saying they don't want to play Power Grid or Puerto Rico because it's too complicated. It's not about sharing the game as much as sharing the experience and spending the time together. I'm looking forward playing computer and board games with my son (and any future children) when he's/they're old enough. With deepest respect, I think there is a huge difference between the kind of interaction you get playing a boardgame and a computer game. In my experience boardgaming allows you interact much more intensively with the child and in a much broader range of spheres than is possible in most computer games. There is usually much more potential for meaningful communication in boardgames. Even in the waits between turns all kinds of important things can happen that are just about unimaginable in the computer games I've seen. Boardgames offer vastly more opportunities for affirmation of the child and for the children to demonstrate their talents, much more chance for the players to kid around with each other, trash talk, help each other, way more teaching moments, to "roleplay" in the informal way that children often do when they play make believe. I do not think console games are on the same planet in terms of their potential for delivering a quality interaction with your children. That said, even shared screentime is better than nothing. It just could be so much more!
I agree with you. I'm not claiming video games are a greater experience for player interactivity. However, that wasn't what I was saying in that paragraph. The point I was making was that some posters implied that games consoles were something exclusively for the children when it's about pro-actively taking part to share in the interests of your children and play "their" games in the same way you'd like others to make the effort and play your [board] games. In the greater context of my post it was about spending time together not the quality of interaction while doing so.
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Sophie Morgan
United States
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I agree with those who said to turn off the TV, but I would also add to turn off the cells and computers. Facebook, Twitter, texting, angry birds, etc. all waste as much time if not more these days as TV. I don't know quite when it got to be that a kid of ten needed a smartphone. If the kid needs a phone, a phone that just makes calls will do. It's hard to get kids today to go low tech, but if you force them to (by setting hours for use, time limits, and "no tech zones/times"), they will suddenly find hours of "time" they didn't have before. And the same goes for adults.
Put it down, turn it off, or get something with fewer features, and actually look up and interact with the world. Amazing what you might see. (Of course, do your BBG'ing during your specified tech time so you don't miss out here!)
But if you teach kids that there can be fun in lower tech things like games, sports, etc. they will see a bigger world than that offered on facebook.
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Rich Charters
United States
Chandler
Arizona
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Here's my two cents:
Overprogramming is a big problem with kids these days. Often the only thing some families can do is to try to get all the kids to their assigned activities/homework every day. We're just too 'busy' as a society.
As kids in the 70s, we used to play baseball in the street....all the neighborhood kids were involved. Now kids don't play baseball unless they pay to join a league, practice twice a week, get a tropy, get a jersey, get the coach a gift, have a pizza party at the end of the season. It's crazy by my way of thinking.
If someone gets into club sports....it's pretty much sayonara until they graduate from high school.
We pulled all our kids out of organized sports because we wanted to spend more time as a family......we still struggle for quality family time.
My son's high school (zero hour) starts at 6:30am. He's up at 5:30am. After school it's homework, skatepark, hang out with friends, youtube (or video games....one son is playing modern warefare, the other Skyrim), then bed.
TV is a problem for the little kids, for the teenage boys it's video games and watching youtube videos. I'm sure my son has seen every skateboarding video posted.
The one activity I have enjoyed over the years is reading to my kids at bedtime. At this point it's only the youngest (10 year old girl). we just finished Magyk last week and started on Fablehaven this week! 
My overall advice: do the best you can and enjoy the journey. It will be over before we realize it!!
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