I love how you make time for your kids while you’re working so hard on other things. I am so proud of you Lauren. As kids, my siblings and I, we always only wanted presence from our parents whatever the medium might be. You’re my dream mom. Lol.
Lovely post. I’ve begun having thoughts around this topic. We’ve basically created a morning routine for our 3 year old of Ms Rachel for an hour while we get things in order. We were never totally against screen-time (especially for long car rides), but we limited it the best we could until she became a toddler.
Now I’m worried that she’s aging out of Ms Rachel and I fear the algorithm. Because of our more relaxed morning screen-time, our newborn has been exposed since day 1. It’ll be interesting managing this as we move forward.
Thankfully, the 3 year old hasn’t really shown an interest in video games when I show them to her. I’ve only shown her Mario 64, which I let her practice running around the front courtyard, and a Game Boy, which she doesn’t really get. But with either of these it’s basically 5 minutes and she’s over it.
Reading your post makes me less worried about the kids taking to games, so long as I’m able to curate them and observe what they are learning.
It changes constantly! For me the most important part has been sharing fun with them and knowing what they’re doing. My kiddos didn’t really get into games until they were 5/6 ish!
Oh good question - we’re pretty similar in our choices. I like the cozy style games and old school OGs. My partner does more zombie killing and “adult” games with his friends. I do try to steer my kids to what I think so fun so I can share it with them. But I discover new games with them too!
Lovely post! You should check out Sago Mini for your younger kiddos 6 and under! It's a collection of digital toys with no rules or objectives which is super engaging for kids at that age. Open ended, kid driven play.
Oh good question - we’re pretty similar in our choices. I like the cozy style games and old school OGs. My partner does more zombie killing and “adult” games with his friends. I do try to steer my kids to what I think so fun so I can share it with them. But I discover new games with them too!
Thank you so much for sharing and for giving me a glimpse of what the future of gaming as a family could look like when my daughter is old enough to try :)
In defense of watching others play video games, this is how I get to experience games I'd never be able to pull off myself—soulslikes and horror games come to mind!
I love how you make time for your kids while you’re working so hard on other things. I am so proud of you Lauren. As kids, my siblings and I, we always only wanted presence from our parents whatever the medium might be. You’re my dream mom. Lol.
You’re the sweetest ❤️
Lovely post. I’ve begun having thoughts around this topic. We’ve basically created a morning routine for our 3 year old of Ms Rachel for an hour while we get things in order. We were never totally against screen-time (especially for long car rides), but we limited it the best we could until she became a toddler.
Now I’m worried that she’s aging out of Ms Rachel and I fear the algorithm. Because of our more relaxed morning screen-time, our newborn has been exposed since day 1. It’ll be interesting managing this as we move forward.
Thankfully, the 3 year old hasn’t really shown an interest in video games when I show them to her. I’ve only shown her Mario 64, which I let her practice running around the front courtyard, and a Game Boy, which she doesn’t really get. But with either of these it’s basically 5 minutes and she’s over it.
Reading your post makes me less worried about the kids taking to games, so long as I’m able to curate them and observe what they are learning.
It changes constantly! For me the most important part has been sharing fun with them and knowing what they’re doing. My kiddos didn’t really get into games until they were 5/6 ish!
Oh good question - we’re pretty similar in our choices. I like the cozy style games and old school OGs. My partner does more zombie killing and “adult” games with his friends. I do try to steer my kids to what I think so fun so I can share it with them. But I discover new games with them too!
Lovely post! You should check out Sago Mini for your younger kiddos 6 and under! It's a collection of digital toys with no rules or objectives which is super engaging for kids at that age. Open ended, kid driven play.
PS. Full transparency, I work at Sago Mini ... :)
Thanks for sharing thoughts that many of us parents struggle with - the reality of our interconnected world with screens and gadgets!
Just out of curiosity, how different are the genres of games that your kids play compared to what you and your husband enjoy?
Oh good question - we’re pretty similar in our choices. I like the cozy style games and old school OGs. My partner does more zombie killing and “adult” games with his friends. I do try to steer my kids to what I think so fun so I can share it with them. But I discover new games with them too!
Thank you so much for sharing and for giving me a glimpse of what the future of gaming as a family could look like when my daughter is old enough to try :)
In defense of watching others play video games, this is how I get to experience games I'd never be able to pull off myself—soulslikes and horror games come to mind!
Totally! There is something mesmerizing about watching other people play.