This is his first gaming system...I was hoping he would get it out of system before now...it was his Christmas present last year. Summer vacation is here and I am out of ideas. If he wasn't playing, then he would probably just be saying he is bored all the time. I think it's probably too late to find him a summer job...that would mean I would be driving him all over the place...AAAGGGHHH!!!
There just aren't any good things for teens to do around here. I mean, he has chores and he cuts grass for spending money. He also plays paintball a couple times a week, but that only takes up so much time.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? He is a good kid...makes all A's...is never in trouble...maybe I should just count my blessings?
2006-06-17 17:02:18 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
Yes, of course I have thought 'getting rid of the thing', but I don't want to punish him. He hasn't really done anything wrong, you know?
Believe me, I have no qualms about taking stuff away...there has to be a happy medium...doesn't there?
2006-06-17 17:10:07 · update #1
Actually, we are going on vacation in a couple of weeks...and I am sure he is gonna want to take it with him...maybe I could just 'conveniently' leave it behind?
2006-06-17 17:12:25 · update #2
No, he really isn't anti-social at all. He has friends from school he plays paintball with(none in the neighborhood though) and they play on X-Box Live together. I listen to him sometimes, and his language is clean and some of the time he is laughing his head off having a great time.
I think I must be jealous...he doesn't spend as much time with me as he used to...we still watch movies together and eat together and everything, but it's definitely different...he is my only child and he is growing up too fast...and please no one say give him a little brother or sister...that would take a miracle!!! (and some surgery)
2006-06-17 17:20:39 · update #3
Count your blessings, yes, but also remember that YOU are the parent and if you feel he is spending too much time on it, you have every right to limit that time. Tell him he has X number of hours to play on it every day, and he will have to find something else to do for the rest of the day. I grew up in a small town too, but I found other things to do besides play video games and watch tv. You just have to be creative. Hang out with friends, try a sport (you can even run and weight lift solo if he has no friends). If you limit it, it will force him to try to think of things on his own. He will probably be very cranky and have a bad attitude at first, but if you stick with it, he will get over it.
And DEFINITELY leave it behind for vacation. There is no reason to take it on vacation. Why spend money on something you could do at home for free? You are the parent, say it isn't coming and that's that. That is not punishing him, that is establishing rules and guidelines and not allowing him to be a couch potato. My husband is addicted to XBox and it drives me NUTS! You are doing his future wife a favor, I promise, lol.
2006-06-17 17:17:18 · answer #1 · answered by mountain_laurel1183 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I'd count my blessings if I were you. I doubt he'll stop any time soon. If this is his first full system, he's never fully gotten the chance to be in to video games, as most kids start much earlier. I was far more into gaming when I had first played my Sega Genesis, than I am now, even with my Xbox 360. If he gets good grades, and isn't a bad kid, I wouldn't worry too much. You could try forcing him to go on a vacation, but I don't think you'd like to do that. If anything, just offer him more reasons to go out and be productive.
2006-06-17 17:07:54 · answer #2 · answered by Carlito 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unplug it and make him do other stuff. Then again it sounds like he's doing stuff and if he's getting his chores done and doing stuff and getting good grades...I don't see what the problem is. Is he not really talking with friends? Is he kind of anti-social? Is it he does all chores and gets everything outr of the way and then 90% of the time he's on Xbox? From how you describe things it doesn't sound bad. If you want more time with him maybe you should put limits on how long he can play and the rest of the time maybe you could watch movies with him or make up some activities. Maybe you could play with him so he at least is not just on it and ignoring you and everyone? But I don't know the situation well enough...and I kind of babbled but this is all my best guess. And yeah....maybe you should count your blessings, lol think of it this way, he does all his stuff and plays Xbox...at least he isn't out around doing drugs or stealing things.^_^
2006-06-17 17:14:13 · answer #3 · answered by Kirsten T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does he have any friends in the area?
I know I'm addicted to games cause they are fun but also I have some social anxiety and I'm pretty shy. So I shelter myself. Which can make things worse. Maybe you could make an incentives like if he reads a couple of books then you buy him a game or something. If he has any art talents he could do some paintings at the children hospital. You could see where he could get a job by getting the bus route.
2006-06-17 17:11:28 · answer #4 · answered by Frak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely count your blessings. When i was 15 I was living on the streets shooting up heroin and all kinds of things Video games is an excellent pastime and no its not gonna rot his brain I mean hes getting straight A's come on.
2006-06-17 17:13:36 · answer #5 · answered by spitly 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take the X-Box from him. and return to him at like 8 pm, after dinner and let him play for 2 hours. Period. Be the F-ing parent.
Let him be worried in what to do with his spare time. He will manage, believe me.
2006-06-17 17:08:51 · answer #6 · answered by oveningskor 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it is really a problem then just limit him on his playing time. Summer jobs are always hiring, especially at fast food places.
2006-06-17 17:07:51 · answer #7 · answered by psycmikev 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, count your blessings. but also set limits on game time! you're the parent. it's your job to set limits. let him mope for a while, but i guarantee he'll find things to do. i always found things to do as a kid before gaming systems were around, and so did you.
2006-06-17 17:07:47 · answer #8 · answered by Matthew C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's a good boy and not in trouble. Count your blessings and let him play his game. Be thankful for what you have and don't worry about it.
2006-06-17 17:47:14 · answer #9 · answered by heartwhisperer2000 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If he's doing everything he is supposed to be doing then I would just say let him play the thing all he wants. It's hard to make someone want to have another hobby.
2006-06-17 17:08:33 · answer #10 · answered by Clint 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋