Comments on: Dear Dad and Mom, Thanks for Shooting Mario

By: Christ and Pop Culture | Poor Mario

Christ and Pop Culture | Poor Mario — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:46:25 +0000

[...] “Dear Dad and Mom, Thanks for Shooting Mario” [...]

By: Quick Takes - 2/9/2008 at Ray Fowler .org

Quick Takes - 2/9/2008 at Ray Fowler .org — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:52:29 +0000

[...] Wax thanks his parents for shooting Mario. “Thank you for limiting my access to computer games and Nintendo when we were growing up. I [...]

By: Biff

Biff — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:34:33 +0000

Comparitivly speaking, I as a parent LOVE Mario. If the TV is on, I would rather it be Nintendo. There is nothing positive on TV except public broadcasting, and it with a few exceptions, has nothing but re-runs played for the 30th time and is somewhat biased to humanism. Even the educational channels on cable tend to be left leaning and at times very biased. I have not had cable TV in many years and would hate to see what the current programming is. Broadcast television is bad enough. I dont even want to turn it on.
With video games you can at least control what games they are. I have a system in place for the amount of game or TV time allowed for my children and it has been in place since 1995. It is report card based and lasts until the next report card. All A’s equate to unlimited game time all week provided all homework and chores are finished. The first B reduces play or TV time to 1 hour a day on weekdays. 2 B’s or 1 C eliminate game or TV on weekdays entirely. 2 C’s … well I have never had to address that yet.
Children today have so much to do. It takes us a couple hours to do my children’s homework and another hour to eat and clean up. School is hard and I think some relaxation and free play time is important, especially in weather like we are having right now when you cant go ride your bike. Games are also beneficial in a few ways. They build hand eye coordination, build confidence and can provide a social outlet.
Please dont kill Mario for your children. Most kids will accept some moderation of their games and it is a parents responsability to provide it. From experience, I can tell you that as your children get older into their pre/early teens that you would rather your children be playing video games than watching MTV. I am not saying games should be babysitters either. There is no law preventing you from playing with your children for a little while. You may enjoy it. That is a great time for communication about whatever you like and it may not be dismissed as a lecture. Your children may look back to those evenings playing Mario with you as fondly as Trevin remembers his childhood. They may even realize that you were trying to do what Trevin’s parents were doing. Provide the best environment a parent can. Sorry about my spelling.

By: Vitali Zagorodnov

Vitali Zagorodnov — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:49:51 +0000

Well, I am planning to do exactly the same for my daughter, who is currently only one year old.

By: Kids, Video Games and Parents Who Limit Exposure

Kids, Video Games and Parents Who Limit Exposure — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:20:40 +0000

[...] friend Trevin Wax just posted a great article on his website titled Dear Dad and Mom, Thanks for Shooting Mario. It’s a public thank you note to his parents for setting responsible limits on his video game [...]

By: Bec

Bec — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:14:05 +0000

Ahhh.. that reminds me of my childhood, and the couple of years that we were tv-free. Hated it at the time, but now I really appreciate it. So much rubbish out there, and we are so impressionable.