My friend Trevin Wax just posted a great article on his website titled Dear Dad and Mom, Thanks for Shooting Mario. It’s a public thank you note to his parents for setting responsible limits on his video game exposure as a child. He writes:
I realize it would have been much easier for you to let the Nintendo babysit us four kids. But you put our well-being ahead of your own comfort and taught us to read, write, make music, create radio shows, play in the backyard, and make movies. . . Thanks for insisting that we would be better, happier, more well-rounded children by causing us to entertain ourselves instead of sit like zombies in front of Mario and Luigi.
This letter is a gracious reminder to all parents. Don’t take the easy way out. Instead, help your children to learn moderation.
My experience was much different than Trevin’s story. Mario moved in with us sometime when I was in elementary school. From that point until I was married, I rarely went a week without wasting much time on video game entertainment.
At the end of the day, God saved me from my parents sins as well as my own. But I often wonder how much more I would have accomplished in High School and College without so much time devoted to video games.
What about your kids? What kind of story will they tell when they are adults?