The Delicate Dance of Screen Time: Just turn it off!

As a parent, there's a phrase I never thought I'd utter so frequently: "Turn it off, now. Please." My kid, engrossed in the captivating worlds of video games, get visibly upset when I interrupt their gaming sessions. Little did I know that stepping into their shoes – or should I say, controllers – would provide me with a profound shift in perspective and a surge of empathy.

As I've delved deeper into playing games on my own, I've gained a newfound understanding of the gamer's side. Suddenly, the frustration of being told to stop mid-game isn't just an inconvenience; it's an interruption to a carefully crafted experience. I now catch myself thinking, "Oh, yeah, that would irk me too if someone demanded I log off right now. I'm in the middle of this thing, and I need to finish it."

The realization hit me – without stepping into my kid's world and being genuinely curious about what's happening on their screen, I couldn't grasp the full picture. It's not merely a matter of imposing rules; it's about finding that delicate balance of listening, limiting, and connecting.

So, here's my new approach: Instead of barging in with a demand to turn off the game, I initiate a connection. I walk up, acknowledge their virtual endeavors, and say, "Hey, dinner's gonna be ready in about 15 minutes. Can you find a good stopping place in the next 5 to 10?"

This shift in approach is about respect. It's acknowledging the importance of what they're doing and recognizing that, in the gaming world, there's a flow, an arc, and abruptly interrupting it can feel disorienting. It's about understanding that if I were in the Nether, for instance, and had to leave immediately, the consequences could be dire – losing all the hard-earned diamond armor accumulated over months of gameplay.

In fact, a similar scenario unfolded recently, and let me tell you, it felt like a virtual tragedy. I had invested time, effort, and a piece of my gaming heart into that armor. It's moments like these that make me appreciate the intricacies of their digital adventures and the emotional investments tied to them.

As a gamer mom, I've come to realize that bridging the gap between our worlds requires patience, empathy, and a genuine interest in what they're doing. It's not just about setting boundaries; it's about creating a dialogue, understanding their perspective, and finding a compromise that respects their digital endeavors while ensuring a smooth transition to the real world.

In the end, it's not merely about turning it off; it's about turning on a conversation that fosters mutual respect and understanding. After all, in the world of parenting and gaming, it's the shared experiences that truly level up our connection.

TRANSPARENCY SHARE

I've been experimenting with how to use AI for my business. In November, I did a live QA on parenting and gaming. I took an answer to one of the questions from that QA and gave it to Chat GPT to make a blog post, just to see what it would do. I actually liked what it wrote. So, the above blog post is what came from Chat GPT, after some edits from me. I'm sharing this because this is such a new area of our world, and when I'm out on the internet, I'd like to know what's from a human, and what from AI. We're all learning together how to do this well. So, here's what I gave Chat GPT to work with:

Turn this into a blog post: Oh, my God! They get so upset when I tell them to turn it off. as I've gotten more into playing games on my own, I have the perspective and empathy from the gamer side. I'm like, Oh, yeah, that would piss me off, too, if somebody came to tell me to get off right now. I'm in the middle of this thing. I need to finish this thing. I just need to do that one more thing, and then I can get off. And without joining the kid in their world and being curious about what's going on, you don't really see that it's that whole like. Listen, limit. Listen, thing you come and you connect, and you see where they're at first. and you go up and you say, Hey, you know. dinner's gonna be ready in about 15 min. So are do you going to? I need you to come to a good stopping place in the next 5 to 10, do you? Are you able to do that instead of going. Oh, hey, dinners! Now come out like, stop now, and come up like it's me being respectful of something that they're doing that is really important to them that like does have a flow and does have like an arc like if I'm in the nether, and I have to get off right now to like. go do something in the other room I like. Who knows what's gonna happen? I would like die and lose all my diamond armor that I worked for months trying to get. It's like that's heartbreaking and like something like that kind of happened last week, and I like I was II had a whole thing about it.