Ban the video & computer games
A couple of weeks ago I attended a finance seminar conducted by Dr. Clement Chiang of the Freely School. It was a three-day seminar on options trading. However, Clement was an excellent teacher on many things non-financial as well.
One day he told us get rid of all computer games and video games from our homes and not allow our children to play them. His point was that studies have shown that children who play these games learn to always keep trying when they fail to achieve their desired score. At first hearing we may conclude that these games teach our children not to give up when they fail. However, our children learn that it there is no risk in losing and trying again because it’s not the real world.
This is where the danger lurks. These electronic games actually imbibe in our children that in the real world they should not try to fail, or even worse, if they fail not to try again as failure will result!
On the other hand, if children play outdoors and expose themselves to failure and actually try again and again and again to succeed, they are actually learning real world lessons. They learn the risks involved in taking on a challenge and eventually learn how to take calculated risks. Finally they learn that failure is not something to be avoided but to embraced and to try again and again until the finish line is achieved.
So parents, if we love our children and desire the very best for our children, banish these games or limit their usage and get our children off their butt and venture out into the real world.
