Xbox, iPad and Video Games..oh my

As I write this Thing Two is playing Angry Birds on the iPad and Thing One is messing about on the computer in the office.

I swore we would never digitally expose our children to the world; no video games and not too much TV for my monkeys. This is one of the many things that I have totally gone back on. The kids play video games on the weekend.  There is still no screen time on week nights Monday thru Thursday, but there are exceptions, when Thing Two has to wait for One at an activity is a classic one.

The Kinect just about saved us this winter.  In the winter on those days that are cold, wet and we don't want to head out of the house, the Kinect lets the kids jump around and get crazy without making me crazy.  Both Things enjoy playing the Kinect games and I really like the requirement of them to move, it burns that restlessness that winter sometimes can bring.  The Kinectimals is the perfect thing for Thing One, she loves interacting with the animals and the activities really help her work on her focus and balance.  The Kinect also lets me work out when I can't get to the gym, Fitness Evo and Zumba always keep me moving, and I can do it in my PJs.

Thing Two is slowly but surely becoming a gamer, he plays Castle Crashers and he and I are both working on learning Portal 2; Thing One is developing her own screen interests.  There are times when I get frustrated because all Thing One wants to do at a particular time is play Angry Birds or Plants and Zombies.  The up side though, we have a like hobby. I enjoy gaming, though nothing that I can't drop and pick back up quickly, Thing One will stick with a game will he owns it. Over half the apps on the iPad are there because the Things asked for them.  Both kids play video games, but at this point not so much that I have an issue with it. Thing One is more particular with what she enjoys playing. She wants a game to very easy and intuitive, no practice really required.  The great thing about some of the games and apps we have though is that they are teaching her something as she goes. Thing One has stopped asking us to read her what the game is saying, she has to read and interpret it and this is good practice for Her. For now I feel like video games are good for us as a whole and worth the time.

Thing One and Two are both developing computer interests and the games are just a entry into the world of technology as a whole, and hopefully we will keep having some gamer family time, mixed in with all the outside rambling adventures we usually have.