Nintendo time
nancy.l.colucci
has had some very positive affects on my soon-to-be-seven-year-old
Cathode-Ray-Tube addict.
When the urge first hit Chris to have his own Nintendo thing, it was
cost-prohibitive for my single-income budget. I told him that if
we could save up the $99.95 (plus tax) by throwing our pocket change
and his allowance into a mutual coffee-can fund, we could get the
system. It took about four months, but we did it.
The day we brought Super Mario home was one that will live in infamy
for both of us. I best remember Chris acting as though he had just
graduated from Charm School For First Grade Boys - "I'll carry that
box for you, Mommy! Here, let me get the door. You look beautiful
in those jeans. I love you. Can we hook up Nintendo NOW, or should
I finish all my beans and clear the table first? Will you marry me?"
After Mario was all installed, I picked up the little instruction
booklet and started reading aloud. When I was halfway through the
first page, Chris had reached level 4-2 and was heading for something
called a Wharp Zone. A realization hit me: He's done this before. And
he does it extremely well. But where did he learn? How does he know
this stuff? How come the goolie-guys eat up every life MY Mario
has before I reach the first Free Life mushroom, but he can go on for
days on his first life?? Who cares. I was about to make a request of
my son that I had never done before and had never planned to do until
someone else taught him to drive a 5-speed sometime in the distant
future ...
"Chris, will you show mommy how you do that?"
You'd have thought I offered him the keys to the Toy-R-Us stockroom.
He was elated. He beamed. With the precision of a surgical professor,
he walked me through Super Mario level 1-1. Hey, I thought. This is neat.
When I reached a hard part, I gave the controls to Chris. He'd hand them
back when I was safe. What a trip! I'm actually learning something from
my kid! This little person *I* brought into the world and feed and clothe
and nurture is TEACHING ME SOMETHING!!! And there is an activity in our
lives that HE DOES BETTER THAN ME!!!
And so it went, for about two weeks. We played Nintendo every morning and
every evening. I found myself sneaking home at lunch to see if I could
figure out just how he found that Wharp Zone to Tree Land and the Free Coins.
(He wouldn't tell me that one.) Once I got good enough to compete with him,
World War Three started in our family room. "Come on, Mommy!!" he'd cry.
"Die!!! Die already!! I want my turn!!!" and just when I though I could
pass King Koopa, I got killed. And I had no more lives left.
"Ha ha!!" said Chris. "Oh, sh*t!!" I blurted.
Oops.
Then it hit me. I was an addict. Super Mario was taking over my life.
I put down my control pad and immediately washed both bathroom floors
and cooked a seven-course meal. Then I went upstairs, put on a dress, and
dug out my needlepoint. I could hear Chris throwing a tantrum downstairs.
"I jumped! This thing didn't let me jump!! AAAAAUGHHH!" and the control
pad hit the floor with a crash. I went downstairs and shut off the TV. I
handed Chris a book. "Read this," I said. He looked at me as if I had
gone mad. But he cuddled up next to me on the couch and read his book.
Our system had begun. There would be NO Nintendo playing (for either of
us) until all homework was done. Nintendo time is "bought" by reading
aloud. For every book Chris reads, he gets an hour or Mario. And absolutely
NO Nintendo after 8:00pm.
Results? Chris's reading skills have improved nearly 100%. His teacher
has sent a note home confirming this. I didn't realize this, but Chris
was worried that he'd never be able to read. Now he likes books better
than Nintendo, and I often have to remind him that he's got two hours
coming on Saturday. But there's still the old refrain:
"Chris, can Mommy play??"
Cheers!
-Nance
Nicolette Shovar
>Believe it or not, the addition of a Nintendo System into our household
>has had some very positive affects on my soon-to-be-seven-year-old
>Cathode-Ray-Tube addict.
>
(a very funny posting deleted)
>
>Cheers!
>
>-Nance
Nance,
Please keep those posts coming! I hadn't seen one from you for
a while, and this one on Nintendo was hysterical!
Nicki Shovar