Pastor Writes: "If you love your kids, don't let them start playing video games

The following are portions of the original article.


Q. Should I Let My Child Play Video Games?

A. No. But it will only work if your child is very small and has not already started and gotten addicted.

Q. My son plays video games all the time. Some say it is educational. But some of them seem awfully violent and rude to me. That's all he does is play video games. My intuition tells me that it's unhealthy.

A. Thank you for your honesty. I've been warning parents about video games for years but no one listens to me. Once the child is addicted and all the peers are playing video games too, there's not much you can do but monitor and try to keep him away from the violent and graphic ones.

My son has never played video games. When my son was little, I got him a computer that was a desktop with a keyboard and a big monitor. The only thing is: it only contained one program: Word.

He learned to type, to spell, to write and to use Word. By the time he was 9 or 10 he was editing and doing the layout for my newsletter.

Later we got a regular computer and he became very familiar with Word, Excel, Front Page, Outlook, music studio software and photo editing. But it was always for a purpose.

When he was small, computer time was limited. He spent his time playing and reading.

I am not a big fan of virtual learning for kids. The only thing they learn is to look at images and point and click. It too entertaining, and so it sends the wrong message. It also has a different effect on the brain than reading.

I like reading and library cards. I like reading, pencil, pen, and paper. I like workbooks. I like field trips with mom and dad. I like crafts. I like sports. I like the child working side by side with mom and dad (or pretending to work when they are small).

No video games please.


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Limit or just don't provide cell phones, mobile devices, facebook accounts, twitter, and video games.

I know one parent who gave his home schooled son a computer when he was 5. But no video games. The computer was not connected to the internet, but had Word, Excel , Microsoft Photo editor, Publisher and Streets and Trips. By age 7 he was editor of a newsletter. By age 12 he had performed his first piano concerto with a symphony orchestra and was valedictorian at his high school's graduation.

He is now attending a U.S. News #1 ranked university on a full tuition academic scholarship.

"When he was a child and a teen, he did not use twitter or facebook, and we did not play video games. He was busy designing a website for his parent's business and working as a radio engineer editing and uploading his dad's radio programs for radio stations. He had a library card by age 5, graduated from high school at age 12 and soon begain to take college courses at age 16. He got a cell phone at age 18 (which was only used to call his parents or for work).

And yes, he has great social skills, is extremely popular, and he is a scratch golfer. And he is not addicted.


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