Games Rule but NOT Before School!

 

 

 

 

As I walked into my mother’s house I watched my brother gaze into the television. I didn’t realize he was playing his video game until I walked through the house a few times. I paused to see he was playing “Call of Duty”. This shocked me because I am familiar with adults and teens playing this game. I did not have a problem with him playing the game until I noticed his homework folder settled on the table with work still in it unfinished. This disturbed me because he was so focused on this game when he should have been focusing on his school work. In my opinion, no game should have come before his after school duties.

            The problem that we fail to address is the fact that children are not responsible for the media they interact with.  Children cannot own violet games unless their parents purchase them for them.  It is an issue that goes to the heart because many parents are not mindful of the things they watch.  For instance, parents such as my mother would not be surprised on my brother’s impact from his video game if she was mindful of the games she purchased.  This result in her punishing him and I am sure many other parents take punishment into consideration.

            I am aware that many young children today have easy access to video games and televisions. Electronic devices are one of the most popular choices for entertainment. There is no doubt that every child’s desire it to have any game or movie that is favored by others of their age group. I question whether it is safe for all children to interact with these certain games and movies. In any case children can be affected by media.

It seems to me that each child has their own level of influence impact from media. I contrasted my brother and my boyfriend’s brother impact from video games and it displays that they are completely different. Both my brother Keith and his brother Ron’Darius learn on the same educational level. They both have desires for games but prefer different types of games. Keith is in kindergarten and enjoys playing mature, advanced games while Ron’Darius is in the first grade and he would rather play games that are for his age group such as cartoon related games. I use these two for example because they both different likes in games and react from them but still maintain exceptional grades in school. This is not promising for all children and that is why both parents and the public society should be mindful of the video games they are releasing and the content.

I strongly believe that media, video games and television are terrible for kids…especially when over used by parents as a means of keeping their kids occupied. Sure, there are times it is OK or even a great thing…however, in this techno crazy time we live in, it is WAY overdone and kids do not even play or use their God-given imagination anymore!

Have you ever heard of IYA(Involved Young Adults)? This is a group of young adults and teens that have interests in younger children’s education. We are here to inform the public on the seriousness of monitoring children and the media they interact with.

I know what you might be saying, “How can media be serious when it is made for entertainment?” Yes, this may be true but what are the effects or consequences behind this media?

·         How much media do you and child or children interact with?

·         Does your child or children ignore school work for media?

·         Would your child or children behave disrespectfully when they cannot interact with media?

·         Are your children giving more energy to games and television or any other electronic device than their education?

·          Have you ever saw a child act or say things from a movie, show, or game?

These are the things you should ask yourself about your children or any child that you may have a concern about. One of the biggest tensions between parents and kids is that sometimes kids don’t have enough to do, while parents have too much to do. It’s difficult not to cringe when your child complains about being bored when you wish your life didn’t have so much responsibility and activity. I realize that it is easy to look over certain things children do on the regular but that is when the more attention should be given. Monitor what your child does when he gets bored. Some kids download inappropriate movies and TV shows from the internet. Be clear that this is not acceptable. Steer their energy in another direction. Honestly, too much media for a child at a young age can cause laziness and lack of proper learning abilities. Make sure kids stay engaged in school. Be mindful of our younger generation upbringing!

            Furthermore, we plan to share our multiple ideas to inform those unaware parents and citizens that there is a way to keep these children satisfied.

Some ways other than technology that kids can consider:

1.      Encourage outside play as often as possible. Of course, be safe and make sure your children are supervised. Playing outside is sadly a forgotten past time for many of today’s techno driven children. Just get them outside running and playing…sweating and good old fashioned hard playing is good for building strong bones and healthy lifestyles!

2.      Music. Turn on some praise music or other clean but still enjoyable music and let them dance around the house. If you have a few kids or even two, they can play musical chairs.

3.      Read. If they can read, give them books to read on a regular basis. It is important that they read often. If your kids are too young to read themselves, read to them daily. Also, a good picture book will keep little no readers busy.

4.      Make them play in their room. Yes, it is OK for kids to play in their rooms with their TOYS.

5.      Young children may complain about boredom when they want to spend time with you. When you hear their complaints, spend a few minutes with your child (if you can). Ask what he or she would like to do with you.

6.      Visit some of your child’s favorite places, such as the zoo, Incredible Pizza, the children’s museum, and the playground. As children get older, they often find new wonders that amaze them.

7.      Invite your child to help you with household chores, such as doing laundry, cooking a meal, setting the table, or dusting. Make a game out of the chore, and soon you’ll both be having more fun.

Children can still have access to their normal games but exclude violent activity from some of them to ensure safety. Less violence will show that it is not the only way to create fun. We also feel that if more educational activities are included in these movies and games that it will have a more positive impact. Educational media created on a level that interest the younger generation is our proposed solution. This can better the children and challenge them to keep education first.