THE MARIO GAME

Nikki has lately become so interested in playing Mario Bros. on the pc and on Ruther's DS. It's amazing how he manages to know what to do and where to go. I know that for game experts it's pretty much nothing but I am talking about my 5-year-old here! Ruther teases me sometimes that Nikki is a better player than I am. Well, I won't deny it. He really is. I have only accomplished World 1 in the old Mario game. (I know, I know... shameful.) Nikki has done several Worlds already in Ruther's DS. I always shriek, panic and freak out when I play these games. Even when the ghosts in the pacman game are still far from me, I panic and hand the controls over to someone else. Well, I didn't want Pacman to die, you know! Besides, I want this game to be the bonding time for Nikki and Ruther. Already, I see they have so many things in common being eldest male kids.

Although Nikki is addicted to this game, I let him enjoy it. Like all things, I know he will later on find something else that will interest him just as he got over his Blue's Clues, Sesame Street and Baby's First Impressions. Besides, he's a good boy. When we tell him to stop playing to eat or to read or to study, he does so without much prompting. He does not put up a fuss or gives us a hard time. Yes, he's a good boy.

As a mother, I still read about the effects these games have on kids. But as long as I know I can still control Nikki's game time and as long as my son is having fun and learning from it, then for the moment, I won't let him stop playing the Mario game.