Okay, so I’ve always heard how kids get the hang of new things faster than adults, but at THREE?!

I was the anti-everything girl. Anti-sports, anti-video games. Then I had kids. Since we found out I was having a boy with my first pregnancy, my husband was talking about video games as bonding. He was asking for gameboys for Christmas when Jake was 6 months old. I’d laugh and roll my eyes, but those games were NOT coming in my house.

For so long, all I’ve seen are zombies couched in front of the tv, controller in hand, for hours. I grew up with mostly boys, so I saw it all-the car driving, mass murdering, alien invading games. I tried to join in and be one of the crowd, but I’m anti-violence and just couldn’t master the remote.

Then along came the Wii. Ooh, the Wii. I’m reformed. I still won’t have anything else in my home. I first heard about the Wii from my husband (naturally). He starts sending me links and articles and was talking about how interactive it is. Growing up, I remember we’d fantasize about being in a game where your movement was duplicated on screen, like virtual reality. It was so Jetsons to us, something we thought of but just didn’t expect. Well the time has arrived.

So anyway, after much consideration (and puppy dog eyes from my husband) I relented and gave in. We got a Wii. In my mind, it’d be something for my husband to use to bond with our kids. Little did I know, it was so simple to use, even I could figure it out! That very night we started bowling. It was all the joy of bowling without the smokey alley and stinky shoes. At first, I worried that my 3 year old, Jake, wouldn’t have the coordination to hold and release the buttons at the proper time but after just a few moments, he got it.

Since that first day we have made the Wii a regular part of our family. Instead of vegging in front of the tv before bed, we’re up moving around and doing this together. Now, my little 3 year old I was once worried about is actually kicking my butt (and my husbands!) at these games. The other day, he bowled an 89 to my 82-and I was TRYING!

We’ve expanded our game database and have included others-fishing, air hockey, MLB Baseball. The other night, my husband comes running in the room and drags me to the TV. “Look at this! Look at what he did! Jake just hit a 505 Foot Home run!”

Both he and Jake are jumping up and down yelling and screaming. Ryan (my husband) said he had only managed to get 501 feet. These games are great for us to keep our family activities together, and really great for the kids learning hand/eye coordination.

This gaming system does so much more than just entertain, it does good. My mother volunteers at senior centers and is seeing more and more of them putting Wii systems in to get the elderly off their feet. I also have a wonderful friend who teaches special needs children and he brought his Wii into the class to relieve the stress and pressure of everyday learning during the 15 minute per hour breaks he gives them.

We live in a cul de sac with the best group of neighbors ever and were just talking about starting a Wii Bowling league, each family being a team. Its getting close to winter, so the kids time outside will be more limited as the weather cools, having this league will allow us adults to socialize and our kids to stay active together in a safe, comfortable atmosphere. Keep looking for my wii posts to let you know how it goes!