We got a wii for Hanukkah. And yes, we were
maybe some of the last people on the planet to obtain said gaming
system. I was one of those, what the hell am I going to do with a wii
kind of people? I don't really like video games. And we don't really
NEED ONE. But my four year old started Occupational Therapy for some
fine motor and gross motor issues and his OT suggested it as something
we could do at home to work on gross motor skills. And then I received
a wii fit at a Nintendo blogging party and my mom offered to buy us a
wii for Hanukkah, and we ended up with a wii.
It is has totally
changed the way my family interacts with each other.
My husband has never been TV person. And I love TV. So in the
evenings, after my son went to bed, I would watch tv and he would go up
in his office and do whatever. Unless we specifically scheduled time
to watch a movie together, or we were working on a project for the
house together, we weren't really "together." Now we wii
And my four year old loves this thing. He begs to play it. He wakes
up every morning yelling, time to wake up and wiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!
And I really do see what his OT is talking about. The sports games are
active. And he is always moving. And I would rather have him moving
around then watching TV. Also, we just have to threaten to take the
wii away and Michael falls right in line. It is my new favorite
discipline technique.
I
am cognizant though of too much "screen time." I have always been
fairly strict about television time for Michael, but I see myself
slipping when it comes to the wii. Do I add up wii time with TV time
to come to the total, or is it separate? And because it is active, I
don't seem to care as much because Michael is not sitting on the couch
and vegging out.
I'm sure the newness will wear off soon and
things will go back to normal. But I really like the fun family time
we have been having. Even if it is getting a tad competitive.
