Wine Country Mom » videogames

Taking a Tech Break

WineCountry.Mom — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:16:47 +0000

Too much distraction enticed me to declare a technology-free day.

Virtual Reality Bites

WineCountry.Mom — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:06:41 +0000

We took the month of September off from video games. The results were painful, horrible, gruesome....and totally epic.

Supreme Court: Ok for kids to maim

WineCountry.Mom — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:26:10 +0000

The Supreme Court has decided my child has every right to decide if he wants to view pornographic images or perform graphically violent acts, he can....as long as it's a part of a video game.

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Video Game Addict

WineCountry.Mom — Mon, 23 May 2011 23:18:05 +0000

The doctor told us we needed to limit the Taz’ screen time to help with some weighty issues we’re having.

“Really, he only needs 1-2 hours a day of TV, computer, or video games,” she noted, making sure to also include my iPhone, handheld devices, and anything else that was electronic and promoted staying seated.

I nodded in agreement, but my mind was swirling. As I racked up the amount of time the Taz could stay glued to his video games, I realized that it was sometimes more like 5 or 6 hours a good weekend day, sometimes even more.

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Inked

WineCountry.Mom — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:12 +0000

My mother called me over the weekend before the clock even hit 9 am. “Are you at home right now?” she asked. “I am.” “What time are you going to take the kids over to their dad’s house?” she asked. “Around 2,” I told her. “Oh. That’s too late. Nevermind.” She was being awfully cryptic, which of course got my curiosity up. “Why? What’s going on?” “Well…..” She asked me if I remembered the Ninja Star that the Taz had been coloring at her house. Of course I remembered. He had colored it pure black and told me how all he had to do was throw it and it would whip through the air slicing anything in its way. I suggested that he not throw it in the kitchen, at least. “I remember. Why?” I asked her. “Well, apparently he was coloring it in my living room…” (more...)

Teenagers and Technology, pt. 2

WineCountry.Mom — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:38:49 +0000

Matthew Gollub of Tortuga Press wrote me this morning in response to "Teenagers and Technology", the article that ran in the newspaper today. Here's what he had to say:

I read with interest your article this morning, “Are teens in tech overload?” I’m a local children’s author, performer and reading advocate. (I’ve spoken at over 900 schools and continue to visit around 60 schools a year.) Tech overload is a topic about which I speak during my school assemblies. Here are some suggestions which may help your readers..... (Read more...)

Teenagers and Technology

WineCountry.Mom — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:02:12 +0000

“We had to take away the Xbox again last night,” a friend lamented to me. She had caught her son in the wee hours of the morning, plugged in with his headset on, chatting with friends across the country as he maimed opponents in his latest game. It wasn’t the first time, and she was aware that it wouldn’t be the last. And short of taking the game system and throwing it in the Russian River, she wasn’t sure what to do. (Read more...)

TV Battles and Video Game Wars

WineCountry.Mom — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:46:37 +0000

About a week ago I posed a question from a local dad. He was wondering about how to impose limits on his willful kids concerning television at night. “I try to turn off the TV but that is met with heavy resistance. So when I turn off the TV the battle is on. The best [...]

Kids, Parents, and the TV Battle

WineCountry.Mom — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:24:41 +0000

Father of Three wrote me: “My wife and I are in our 30’s and did not have TV in our rooms as kids. But we have spoiled our kids by letting them have TVs in their rooms. But now they want to stay up on school nights watching their shows on the DVR. I try [...]

Teenagers: A Mom’s Lament

WineCountry.Mom — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:32:39 +0000

A mom was lamenting to me about her 13 year old son. He used to be such a nice kid – totally respectable and responsible, and extremely trustworthy. But things changed in the last year. His parents got divorced, surely a huge shock to his world. And with the divorce came a lot of changes. [...]