Small son: "Why can't I just play video games whenever I want?"
Me: "Because I want you to do things that help you learn and grow, too."
Son: "Video games teach me things."
Me: "What did Lego Star Wars teach you this morning?"
Son: "That my true destiny is to be a knight."
Need I say that the Wii remained turned off?
While that argument didn’t work for my kindergartener, I have to admit: We do learn a lot from videogames, movies and, of course, books.
Ramona Quimby taught me that it’s ok to make mistakes. Even if other people laugh at you.
Harry Potter taught me that being brave doesn’t mean never being scared. It means doing the right thing despite fear.
Scout Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” showed me the world isn’t fair and doesn’t always make sense. Her father taught me to try and fix it anyway.
“The Goonies” showed me the importance of loyalty and persistence.
And, alright, I don’t really play a lot of videogames. But Wii Fit showed me that I put too much weight on my left foot.
What have books, movies and videogames taught you?