As a mom of a gamer, I always wanted a son. I know that a lot of women want a daughter they can dress up and turn into their little ballerina, but I wanted a rough-and-tumble little boy to call my own. When I found out I was pregnant with a baby boy, I was ecstatic.
Instantly, thoughts of footballs and crossbows bounced around in my head. He was going to be the coolest football player/hunter ever. I decorated his room all in camo and bought him his first football before he even exited the womb.
Fast forward a decade, and while he likes sports, his real passion is gaming. I’m the mom of a gamer. I wasn’t really sure how to feel about that at first. I thought maybe I had failed a bit as a mother because my son was happier sitting inside playing video games than he was outside playing with his friends.
Then, I saw all of the positives starting to develop from his gaming. He can figure out the latest technology faster than I can. He has no trouble making friends because he’s literally met people from all over the world through his online gaming, and he doesn’t judge anyone. With everything becoming so technology-driven, particularly over the past few months with COVID, I’m even happier about his choice in extracurricular activities. The future of the world is online, and he’s going to easily be able to get a job in any sort of technology-related field.
While I limit his access to certain games because of his age, there is still an endless amount of games available for him to play. Building games, superhero games, and yes–even Fortnite, are on his console. He’s learning critical thinking skills, morals, and how to be part of a team.
Gaming has such a negative connotation surrounding it, and in some cases, it’s justified. There are a lot of weirdos on the internet, and games need to be strictly monitored by parents–especially for younger kids. When it comes to gaming, though, for every negative, there’s a positive.
My son’s ability to connect with his friends virtually has literally saved us during COVID. That social interaction was still there for him daily because he has so many friends waiting right at his fingertips.
The vast amount of knowledge he’s gained with technology has also made virtual learning a lot easier. While many kids struggle in his remote learning class, he’s had zero issues because he’s his own tech support.
We still throw the football around and play hockey and all of the other fun things I imagined I would do with him so long ago when he was bouncing around in my belly, but we also talk gaming and the latest YouTube stars and all sorts of other actually really interesting topics.
I may not be that mom on the sideline, cheering on my quarterback son, but I am that mom listening to him go on and on about the latest Fortnite update and hearing him yell “Let’s goooo!” when he and his friends get a Victory Royale.
…and under my breath, I’m cheering “Let’s goooo!”, too, because as this mom of a gamer, I am so proud of my gamer son.
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