7 Steps To Reducing Your Stress Over Your Child's Video Gaming Habits

Video games are so popular and often addictive today and parents often clash with their children over:

* The amount of time the child spends playing video games.
* The objectionable nature of the themes in the games.
* The emphasis the child places upon playing games while neglecting other duties or pasttimes.


As games have become more realistic and interactive, such as the Nintendo Wii with its motion sensing technology, some children have difficulty setting boundaries on the video gaming.
Rather than nagging or getting frustrated with your child, why not have a systematic plan in place that addresses your concerns? Here are seven tips that you can begin applying today to help reduce the tension in your home over video gaming.

1. Limit video game playing to specific hours of the day. What some parents have done is choose certain hours in which games may be played, for example between 7 and 9 PM. Other hours of the day are reserved for other activities.

2. Place conditions which must be met before video gaming may begin for the day. Examples include homework, cleaning the bedroom, and mowing the lawn.

3. Tell the child that before a new game is purchased or borrowed from a friend, you are going to check a few reviews to determine whether the content is appropriate for the child's age and maturity level.

4. Set rules that cover which ratings or content types are not acceptable for your child to play.

5. Regularly play video games with your children. Your child may resist this idea at first, particularly if you have been overly critical of gaming or if the child sees their gaming as "their" territory. Find a game that you can both enjoy. Your child will probably enjoy showing you how to play.

6. Have the child write about why they enjoy playing certain games. One way this can be done is start a blog dedicated to video gaming or a subtopic thereof. The blog can be centered around a certain console, such as the Nintendo Wii, the Sony Playstation 3, or Microsoft's Xbox 360. Or perhaps it would be preferable to focus on a certain type of game, such as racing, first person shooter, or martial arts.

7. Set up a system in which the child can earn the privilege to play video games for as long as they desire, on specific days. Include conditions that must be met first and make sure you are clear on when the privilege may be used. Some parents have constructed a "point" system which works similar to a bank. The child "earns" points by doing certain activities, such as keeping their grades up, doing their homework every day, or maintaining a clean bedroom without being told. The specifics will be tailored to your own family and situation.

Figure out which activities will add points and the number of points, the total number it will take to earn an "all-day" gaming day, and the specific types of days in which the points may be "spent". For most families, this will mean a weekend day which is free of other planned activities.
By implementing some or all of these ideas, you can improve your relationship with your child and reduce the stress associated with your child's video gaming habits.

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