Berkshire County Parents: Are Video Games Making Our Kids Lazy?
So, here's a question for the parents of Berkshire County Kids. Do today's kids catch frogs? In this case, I'm using "frog catching" as a metaphor for all the fun things that I used to do as a kid that used to keep my body moving and my brain working. Do kids engage in these activities today? I would wager that they don't. And it's my opinion that the blame belongs squarely on video games and smartphones.
Don't get me wrong, I love video games too, but in my day we actually had to walk to the arcade to play them... and when we ran out of quarters, we had to walk back home. Oh, and by the way, we had to do lots of chores to get those quarters that we needed to play the games. (The games were better too back then, but that's an argument for another time).
Today's kids are pretty lazy in my opinion, and they generally need a kick in the back end to get them out of their rooms and into something where they actually have to stand up. How many hours a day does your kid play Grand Theft Auto on their PS3? How about Fortnite? That one they can pull out of their pocket during recess instead of playing kickball or whatever. My point is... these games are making our kids lazy.
Way back when I was a young whippersnapper, we didn't play video games at night. We went out to play with our friends. Yea, we may have found some trouble every once in a while, but no one could call us lazy.
I'd be interested to know your thoughts on this. Am I seeing things incorrectly? Am I wrong for saying today's kids are lazy? I digress.
Let's get our kids off the bed and back outside. Here are a few ideas you might suggest to your kiddos:
- Kick the Can (a classic)
- Cops and Robbers
- Army! (I always found the best stick)
- Door Bell Ditch (maybe this one isn't such a good idea, but it kept us in shape)
- Star Trek (Set phasers on stun! I was always Chekov)
You get the idea. Can you think of any others?
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