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OT: Son Beats Father


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I thought it would be many years before my son, who just turned six, could beat me at anything. I usually let him win most of our games and contests, just to boost his confidence. Plus, its great to see his smiling face when he beats his dad.

 

Now the student is starting to surpass the teacher. He just beat me in a video wrestling game. And it wasnt even close. He kicked my butt. This is the first time he has legitimately beaten me at anything. To add insult to injury, he also talked a lot of trash during the game.

 

I was so proud of him! However, my ego also took a hit. How long before he starts showing me the proper way to execute a six string sweep on the guitar?

 

Any advise from the fathers out there?

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I haven't been able to beat my son in video games for 5 years. I couldn't beat him in any sport except maybe wrestling (I outweigh him by a lot). He sings way better than me. If he takes up the guitar I'll sound worse than I do. I think its great!!!!
There are two theories about arguing with a woman. Neither one works.
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:D

 

There will always be things you excel at over your kids, and vice versa. Everyone has their own talents. My kids have always been able to kick my ass at video games...and most sports. I, on the other hand, have always been able to out-bench 'em (my sons, who were more the tennis and hoops physique than wrestling), and, I'm the wise old sage of guitar and stuff like that. They're in their early 20s and late teens, so, stuff they're going to shine on is taking shape. And, there may yet come a time when they can out-bench the old man and pick circles around me. But not yet. :D

 

I think it's cool to let the kids be the teacher once in awhile...it makes 'em feel worthwhile.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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You're still probably able to best him in real world situations. In fact, if you threw out that fuckin' video game, he'd be able to quicker get to learning how to deal with those as well.

 

They say that each generation winds up being smarter and better off than the previous one. But when I think of my Dad growing up in the depression era, and managing to keep himself occupied without the aid of television, CD players, video games, home computers, gameboys, mountain bikes(or ANY bicycle), or any of the other trappings children take for granted now, I'm beginning to think that really isn't true.

 

Do you REALLY want to test your son's mettle? Unplug all of those devices that provide his usual entertainment, and forbid him from using anyone elses, and see if he rises to the challenge. And that includes the cell phone that parents ignorantly give their kids this day and age.

 

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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Were you sitting in your rocking chair when you typed all that Whitefang? You only needed to add a sentence like "When I was young, I had to walk FORTY miles to school with no shoes!!" for the picture to be complete.

 

:D

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Sounds that way, don't it? But think about it...

 

When I WAS a kid, let's say about 10 years old, you could count all the overweight kids in the entire school on one hand. Now, it's said to be an epidemic. And most people want to blame the fast food industry and soft drinks in schools and such. But fast food has been around for 40 years and more. And childhood obesity has been a problem only for about a decade or less. Couldn't the possibility be that instead of having to SIT on the kids to eat some kind of lunch before they go back out side to play, that they eat that swill while sitting on their fat asses twiddling Lara Croft through some cyber-maze? The only exersize some kids get is when they walk to the supper table and to bed. Other than that, there's soccer practice for some, which Mom DRIVES them to. Even when in my teens, I wasn't averse to scarfing down Whopper's and Big Mac's. But until I was 18, I walked everywhere I went. Dad wasn't too generous with lending out the car. In fact, I didn't have to start dealing with any kind of weight problems until my mid-30's. Most of us in the same age bracket didn't either. Some still don't.

 

Then there's the atrophy of imagination. As a child, me and my friends would often find ourselves in some vacant lot or field, or even in each other's backyards at war with German soldiers, or Japanese troops a half-hour later. Within an hour, we'd be saving our homes from Viking hoarde's and ten minutes later it would be Apache savages. We could see them clear as day charging over hills, through woods, or over the fence of Mr. Demyonovich's yard. What we DIDN'T see were these foes brought to our sight via some computer-generated imagery from the imagination of someone else.

 

I know there will be responses from forum members who do not let their kids waste away in this fashion. And I salute you all. But your numbers are small compared to what I witness of the kids around my neighborhood and in my own family. And giving the excuse that this sort of nonsense is allowable because you're afraid of some sick-o snatching them up doesn't wash. There must be at least 30 kids on my stretch of the block under the age of 13, and I never see more than three or four playing outside at a time. What are the other kids doing? I shudder to think...

 

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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My wife and I said we would never buy him a video game, but gave in after five years. Fortunately, he isn't addicted to them. Plus, I would NEVER let that happen. He only plays them about 15 or 30 minuets every day. I am very much against letting him veg out on TV and video games, and 15-30 minuets doesn't seem unreasonable at all.

 

Also, we are joining the Cub Scouts next week. :thu:

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Originally posted by nursers:

Were you sitting in your rocking chair when you typed all that Whitefang? You only needed to add a sentence like "When I was young, I had to walk FORTY miles to school with no shoes!!" for the picture to be complete.

 

:D

You forgot "uphill both ways through waist deep snow" :D

 

Whitefang...I heartily agree with your point...except...the world's not going to change. That young man will be telling his kids and grandkids "Back in my day, we had to press BUTTONS on the video games with our thumbs...no mind-control 3D holodecks...we had to see OUR video games on a crappy two-dimensional screen!"

 

Yeah. You can lay down the law...but, ultimately, you're fighting a losing battle with technology. Ultimately, though, it comes around. Gives you something to throw at 'em when they're older. "Damn, dad, I wish I had played more high school sports". "I tried to tell you, son, but you had to find out for yourself."

 

Some things kids do have to find out for themselves. Not that as parents we should always give in and never lay down the law, but, we should also recognize when it's a losing situation on our part, and that they'll have to take a few knocks from other sources to learn. Of course, you have to weigh the potential amount of damage.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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"Back in my day, we had to press BUTTONS on the video games with our thumbs...no mind-control 3D holodecks...we had to see OUR video games on a crappy two-dimensional screen!"
LOL. I'm already telling him, "Back in my day, our video GAME only consisted of two little vertical lines and a dot that we would hit back and forth".
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Its a given in my family that the youngsters rule on video games. Its a generational/genetic thing.

Apparently, parents are inherently incapable of developing a high level of video skills.

So i wouldnt even count this as a loss.

 

FWIW- What was really hard to adjust to for me was when my son started hanging with girls I found to be attractive. THAT really made me feel old.

 

On a similar note, by all rights my 20 yr old son should be able to beat me at most anyting these days. However, for some reason whenever we go out to hit some tennis balls he gets psyched out and I always win. It drives him nuts.

However, he kicks my but at golf.

That he now takes that for granted makes it worse.

 

He likes to tell me about how, at this stage of life, Im no longer growing. On average middle agers are actually shrinking slightly in height.

Let the shriveling up begin.

 

Oh yeah - you may not want to teach your son about wagering just yet.

Check out some tunes here:

http://www.garageband.com/artist/KenFava

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Laugh at him because you can buy beer and he can't. In fact, have one in your hand as you play the video game and everytime you start to lose, take a slow, slurpy drink. Say, "Ahhhh. I can't think of anything on this earth better than a cold beer."

Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

--------------------

Reporter: "Ah, do you think you could destroy the world?" The Tick: "Ehgad I hope not. That's where I keep all my stuff!"

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actually the kids on the 3rd grade football team that I coach that have Ps2s or xboxes have a better grasp of the game than the kids that aren't allowed to play the games. madden and espn football has gotten to the point that it takes a true understanding of the game to do well at them.

Reach out and grab a clue.

 

Something Vicious

My solo crap

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Ah, generations. :thu:

 

I know that I will NEVER beat my dad, who is currently 63, in golf. He loves the game, plays in several times a week, and works in the golf industry. A bad day for him is shooting a 74. Whereas in over 20 years of golfing, I've never broken 80.

 

Of course, my dad can't voice an inverted C#mb9 on guitar, either. ;)

 

My son is getting close to being able to beat me in video games. I will be very proud the day that happens. Also, though he's only 5, all signs point to the fact that the kid is going to be bigger than me, probably by the time he's in his early teens. So, he'll probably be able o beat me in basketball and other physical activities.

 

The point is, everyone has their strengths, and it's a great thing to see one's offspring discover theirs and excel at them. Or at least try them and enjoy them. :thu:

 

- Jeff

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Well, that's five of you!

 

That one of you "lays down the law" in limiting playstation time is good, and a good start. Unfortunately, there's not enough of it going around. I may make it sound as if I think video games are a curse. Essentially they're not. In fact, they are probably life savers on rainy days. And you can't help but marvel at the quality of today's graphics vs Pong and Intelevision II. But they also seem to rob many children of that quality I referred to before. Imagination. That kids are getting an education on the fundementals of football through Madden is one thing. But many kids miss the point. I have a five year old grandnephew who plays this computer game which requires him to link together the skeletal structure of various dinosaurs. After the completion, a voice-over will announce the name of the dinosaur. He couldn't care less. He links them together, announces, "I won!" and walks off proud. When I asked him what dinosaur he just put together, he said he didn't know, and changed the subject. But he's still only five, and still has somewhat of an imagination. I rarely see kids around the neighborhood relying on any imaginative play. Any sort of intermingling activity they engage in requires props, and props of immaculate detail. On another note, and somewhat related, I was once listening to some guy on a radio talk show some years back. He was the head of one3 of these organizations that wanted to ban "war toys". Realistic looking toy rifles and pistols and the like. The radio host asked him, "OK, so what's to prevent a kid from picking up a broomstick or something and pretending it's a gun?" Which sounded like a good question. But the answer was just as good. The guy didn't seem to mind that at all. "That broomstick rifle could later become a horse, baseball bat, flagpole, vaulting pole, or any number of things dreamed up by the child's imagination. But what else could a life-like looking Uzi become?"

 

It is that reason I blanch at the thought of a child's preoccupation with today's life-like videogame graphics. That the majority of the most popular games are "violence conquers evil" oriented is another concern. Kids seeing that stuff on TV can be easily delt with by parents. But games where the violence is initiated through the child's direction might for some of them give a sense of vicarious power. Many parents out there can put it well in check. But I fear that many of those games, as TV in general is for too many parents, are the "in-house" babysitter with unchecked authority. But I'm still looking far ahead in years as what I percieve to be an outcome. And I will be the first to say that I hope I'm dreadfully wrong.

 

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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