My kids have complained that they have no idea what the other kids are talking about with the wii, psp, ps3, guitar whatever stuff floating around… Wouldn’t it be nice if books incited the same hysteria?

However, even though we have a wii now (a gift from a well meaning friend who has children who pester him constantly for access to their xbox, dslite, et al), they know that that thing is for rainy saturdays and they never ask if they can play it unless they know that all chores and homework are done.

We bought our son the game boy when he was about 5 or 6 years old. We upgraded him much later to game boy advance. He has the Game Cube and I bought him the Wii last Christmas.

He plays them all and he’s limited to 2 hours on weekdays of either game time and/or television providing that he doesn’t have tons of homework and studying to do.

He reads a great deal, but when he has free time–he just wants to play video games. I feel we created this and feel he might have been more well rounded or creative had we not gone this route with games.

We’re trying to teach our son about money. He’s 13 and has no concept of what money or work means. Anything major that he wants now involves effort on his part. Whether we can afford it or not, if he wants it badly enough–he has to earn half or we won’t get it for him. So far, it hasn’t worked. Minor chores and opportunities for cash don’t seem to entice him enough yet for him to stick with it.

I would like my children, no matter what they have or don’t have, to not feel entitled. My wish for them is that they feel a sense of gratitude.

It’s not easy to model all the time!

Poor? I don’t think so. My ten year old is an excellent chef, he loves to read, and he gets plenty of vitamin D in the great outdoors where he explores and engages in fabulous imaginary play. His doctor has never complained that he isn’t getting enough EFM radiation or is too active. And his teachers and even strangers who meet him often comment on how polite and well-adjusted he is.

Our parents threatened that caffeine would stunt our growth. I like to tell my kid (on the rare occassions he complains) that electronics will fry his brain.

Lots of families will have to learn how to go to the library or play with creative indoor toys or go outside to play sports or climb a tree and use their – gasp – imagination again instead of just plugging in to video games.

My husband and I laugh over the fact that Guitar Hero is so popular. How about learning how to play a real guitar and practice everyday? (He has played guitar for many years so this game seems so ridiculous to him). Buying a used beginner guitar and a few lessons is a lot cheaper than the video games and systems and a skill you can use for life.

I’m not opposed to all gaming things, some are very educational. I think our society has gotten so out of balance with acquiring “stuff” that the kids become so affected with their perceptions and attitudes.

Thanks to what’s going on with our financial system now, this is about to be corrected in our society which is not such a bad thing. “Poor” to some kids is “green living” to others.

A great video on You Tube to watch if you haven’t yet is called “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard. It explains everything really well and is worth it to watch it.

Thanks, everyone, for such great comments and all the support!

Teach responsibility, hard work and most important when someone says something mean teach them that not everyone is nice and it only makes you stronger, just tell them to walk away and feel bad they they don’t have the wisdom on life that you do!!
And just in case your wondering my 4 year old still has her piggy bank full of her “pony” money, and I have told her she can spend it on anything, but she has decided that her chores she dos around the house and going to be worth that pony!!

That kind of thinking I like a lot. My older two share a room. They know that “new” books arrive on their birthdays or from the library, which means they have to return them to share with everyone else. We may eventually get some computer games, but I’ll don’t want to ever buy my kids a video game system. When they get their driver’s licenses they may earn the privilege of using our oldest vehicle, but they are going to help pay for insurance and gas.
This isn’t being poor, it’s being smart. People who believe all the lies advertisers tell us, that getting all this stuff makes you happy, aren’t as happy as they appear.

P.S. Amber — you probably don’t have all their credit card debt, either. LOL