all my 7 yr old wants to do is watch nick,play his game boy or computer games is this normal?

Question

Im a divorced dad who has my son 50% of the time.He has a closet full of toys(never playes with)new bike(never riden)movies(never watched).He can play his gameboy for hrs but has a hard time watching a movie(kids) from start to finish.Except for these 3 things he has a hard time entertaining himself.When board he climbes,jumps ect all over me to get my attention.I do take him out(parks,walks ect) and spend a great deal of time playing with him(as does him mom) but can't play 100% of the time.Hes like this with his mom too but seems more "needy" with me.

Answer 1

Which games does he play? Has he tried the new Super Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2? Ask him how it is; I'm thinking of getting it. The first was awesome!

Answer 2

Is he able to sit through his classes in school? Does his teachers complain that he loses focus after a while?

Please don't just assume its ADD or ADHD and accept any doctor who just quickly tells you it is so (if you go try to see if a doctor who diagnoses him) get a 2nd or third opinion, find a doctor who will listen to your son's situation because it may be something else entirely. The divorce could be one factor, the fact that he is an only child (no sibling to play with) can be another (not that it means you HAVE to have another child... just he doesn't have another sibling to play and use up some of his energy so he is always coming to you)

Have you ever thought of putting him in some sort of group activity where he will have to use up a lot of energy? Soccer, football, tennis, karate, capoeira (capoeira is SO fun and uses a lot of energy) etc... and ideally it would be best if you could stay and watch him practice also. Well, if you cannot be there through the whole sessions, at least show up like 20 minutes before its over so that you can really see how good he is doing and praise him for it afterwards.

You should try and not let him play on the computer or with his gameboy for hours... maybe you could have "quiet" days once in a while though where he is allowed to do so...

He doesn't have any brothers or sisters (I am assuming) so both you and his mother are the ones he is going to come to for fun and attention... but some outside activity may help some. He is 7 and he does have TONS of energy...

Answer 3

Well i can relate to this one here,my son is 9 and if i let him he would play the gameboy or PlayStation all day and no he cant watch a movie either,but he is a boy most don't, here's some things to try, first baseball,soccer,basketball, these are sports that a normal hyper 7 yr old would love to play with alittle guidance,get him into outdoor sports and away from from the convenient tube... I didn't read how long you have been divorced for ,, but he is 7,,,give him a break he is needy because he thinks you will leave him or his mom will leave him,,it is aggravating i assure you but he will grow out of that just be positive with him not harsh ,to be honest kid movies may not be for him some kids are said to be hyper,may just need more of a challenge try teen movies, do you get along with his mom? plays a very important part,, if he sees things are stable then the child will be more at ease and the jumping, is his way for attention. good luck

Answer 4

I think he just wants your attention. He has probably heard somewhere something about children not having fathers or fathers walking out. He may even feel a bit abandoned himself (though you are not doing this at all). Its his way of dealing with the divorce, especially if this is something fairly new.

It is normal for children of his age not to be able to sit through a whole movie, especially those who have not been plopped down in front of the TV 1/2 their lives.

I am a first grade teacher and during summer school (enrichment) we watched a movie every Friday. There were a couple times where I turned the movie off, did something else with the students and then let them go back to the movie.

It really doesn't sound like ADD or ADHD (which is WAY over diagnosed and not even recognized by most other modern countries...yes I am a bit biased), however I would talk to his teachers and see what they are seeing at school.

Answer 5

I have 3 kids 11, 8 and 5. Recently I was doing some research on alternative school systems and this particular one advocates children NOT watching tv or using the computer at all. So when telling my kids about it we decided to set ourselves a challenge to not watch tv for a month and as a reward we would go watch a movie together as a family. They were hesitant at first but quickly settled into a routine of reading more, or writing stories or playing games outside, or make believe. My youngest probably found it the most difficult because she couldn't just pick up a book, but lo and behold, within that month she discovered she could put the words together and has a new found love of reading herself, picking up anything and everything just to give it a go. What your son is doing is not necessarily bad, but think about how much he'd gain if he tried something else, even jumping all over you and you wrestling back. Diversity....is the key to developing strong young minds!

Answer 6

Sounds like my son, he is 8 and sounds just like that, all he wants to do is play his video games or watch cartoons, he has tons of toys, a bicycle and all that but pass's them up to play games, drives me nutts, but i think it's perfectly normal, my son has ADHD, which means, he can't watch a 2 hour movie or focus on much for long, but for some reason he can sit in front of that game boy for hours, if he seems a little to hypered up and can't really focus you may want to check with the doctor to see he may have ADD, if he has troubles at school with work and getting along with others, i'd for sure say he may have it, if not, it is normal, most 7 and 8 year olds go through that stage.

Answer 7

Well, it may be normal these days for kids to be "hooked" on their games, but as a parent you have an OBLIGATION to "unhook him." My grandson is allowed to play his gameboy or Playstation TWO HOURS a day. He is allowed to watch TV TWO HOURS a day. He is expected to play outdoors and ride his bike and get physical exercise and READ in his room, also. If you want a "well-balanced" child, you need to enforce some rules and set some boundaries. That's what good parents do.

Answer 8

He is normal. Based on what you wrote, you give him things and you do things with him, but you're not giving him what he really needs. He needs you to RELATE to him. Enter his world, where make-believe, imagination, and the real world are all interwoven. Remember when you were 7 or 8 or 9? Go back into THAT world and meet your son there.

Answer 9

He may have ADHD. Children who cannot concentrate on simple things like watching a movie from start to finish usually display symptoms of ADHD.

Go to the doctor and get him checked.

Answer 10

Have you tried taking him camping? What about weekend trips? Fishing? I think that taking him to do other (different) things would help. Even just a day canoe trip would take him from the 3 things that he does. Maybe even a theme park. Good luck!