Which mask do you wear? Are you happy that your child is contentedly playing a videogame and not under your feet? Or sad, because you self-flagellate about allowing videogames–how they limit your child’s creative and imaginative play.

No doubt you have read ubiquitous advice suggesting that videogames or social apps be turned off to allow a child’s natural curiosity and creativity to develop. Yet something holds you back.

Here’s one example of a parent who placed boundaries and limitations around screentime. It’s about a boundary that birthed a baker. In this post from Ron Dreher at The American Conservative, he wrote about the upside of restricting online access.  

He himself was inspired by the inspiration of his daughter as she filled her free time Continue reading →

 

If your tween has been allowed to play action-adventure video games for a few hours at a time on a regular basis, you may have noticed a little residual defensiveness oozing beyond the boundaries of that arena.

As tweens begin to feel the insecurity of early adolescence, they are sensitive about receiving even subtle judgments from their peers. So they sit ‘on guard’ as they play these games.  The game environment itself is typically all about protecting virtual ‘people,’ property, and places. Combining prepubescence and the gaming environment elicits a protective need to defend themselves.

It’s a self-preservation they may forget to turn off in the relative safety of their own interactions with their family.  They may need your encouragement to “chill.” Continue reading →