Battling Childhood Addictions

I was talking to the mom of one of Collin's classmates. I explained to her that we are having a challenge with Collin's new found love, video games. It's like he's an addict and can't get off the stuff. He gets moody when you interrupt his play and when he asks you to help and you don't do it right, look out. And we're talking educational Leap Frog games too! Yesterday he lost his mind and yelled at me for losing his guy. Of course I pulled the plug and sent him to his room. I decided he needed to purge this evil from his system. He needed to go cold turkey.

Today he is a new child. He's rediscovered his tinker toys and has built all sorts of "inventions". He's been kind, polite and patient. However, his second love, TV is on in the background. I don't think he gets too absorbed into it. It seems like he checks in with it here and there. It's more like a cerebral pacifier. I do realize that I probably shouldn't allow this but I don't think it's all bad. The other day he told the kitten to get off the table in a loud and deep voice. I told him that wasn't very nice and he says,"I'm just being assertive". I'd like to take the credit and say that I walk around here all day spouting large, smart, educational words but come on...I asked where he learned that word from and he said,"TV". See, some educational value.

Now I do worry when he hands me something and says,"but wait there's more" or when I say we'll go to the store later and he says,"better act now". Last week he told me that we need the As Seen on TV door draft guards. I told him I wouldn't buy them and he said in a judgemental tone ,"ok, but you're throwing pennies out the window." I bet he wants to be Billy Mays for Halloween. I'm too afraid to ask. Ok, maybe I will concede that some limits need to be set but I can only handle one battle at a time.