I don’t know exactly how this happened, but L, who is 4, is addicted to video games. How do I know this? He is sneaking around and trying to hide it from me and lying when he is caught. A sure sign of addiction!
How Did It Start? I think it may have started one hot summer day when the kids asked if they could play Mario Kart on the Wii. I didn’t think much of it; it was so hot outside and they were stuck indoors. Then L started asking if he could play Angry Birds on my computer. Sure, no problem, but you have to do your school work first (yes, we do a little school work during the summer – don’t want them to lose everything they learned as their brains turn to mush playing video games).
Next thing I know he is playing Mario Kart on A’s Nintendo DS. When she takes that away he steals her Kindle Fire to play Angry Birds. During our vacation all he wanted to do was sit around all day and play video games on the DS and Kindle (of course, we didn’t let him).
Once we are back home again, I banned all video games for a couple days. The next morning he is quietly watching TV after he wakes up, or so I thought. I peak into the play room and find him playing Angry Birds on the Kindle Fire. So I take it away and repeat that there are to be no video games for a couple of days. I confiscate the Kindle and the DS.
The next morning I peak in and he is watching Mickey Mouse. Good. No video games. Or So I Thought! Turns out he told his sister that he was playing Mario Kart on the Wii and when he heard me coming down the stairs he switched it back to cartoons! Are you kidding me!? How does he know to be so sneaky? When I asked him about this he lied and said he didn’t, but eventually he came clean.
So, on to the naughty step for lying to Mom and I have confiscated the Wii remote. He is banned from games for a week, and after a week he will play for one hour every other day.
Have your kids developed an addiction to video games?
How do you monitor and control their play?
Sorry to hear that your 4-yr is out rightly lying to you! Must be hard to hear and also maddening!! When J (2 yrs) started wanting to watch videos on the iPhone all the time, I made a rule — only weekends. And we try really hard not to tempt him by using our phones in front of him. Lately, he’s actually been good and not asking for it as often. Maybe once a weekend, instead of twice a day. And instead of watching YouTube videos, he likes to watch videos of himself. Haha. Back to your 4-yr old, I’d say you have to get to the root of the lying. You don’t want him to lie about playing video games, or sneak around playing them. But in the long run, you wouldn’t want him lying about other things – God forbid alcohol, drugs, etc. So…maybe find out why he feels he has to sneak around/lie and if the two of you can come up with a plan/rules/consequences together. Didn’t you say you did that? Like rules on a wall or something? Good luck! Also, how effective is talking to a 4 yr old about why he lies? I have no idea since I only have a 2 yr old.
We have a book about the Berenstain Bears telling a lie and then the truth. I have read that to him and had a talk with him about it. Hopefully this is just a little phase that kids go through.