Wii Are Family!

July 14th

Family Wii Night!

The Wii tends to be something the kids "do"....mainly Christopher.  I have played a few times and quite honestly, I get how it can be so addicting!  Today I picked the kids up from day camp and we were headed right home to have a snack and rock out some time on the Wii. 
I noticed that I was worried about "how long" this was going to take.  I was going out with friends later and wanted to make sure I had time to get ready. (had to make sure I was "looking good", right?....ugh!)  And, I also noticed that I was worrying about my phone.
Chris and I played Mario Kart.  This is his favorite and I am shocked at how good he can be at "driving" when in real life he his little feet don't even come close to real gas pedals! 
He kicked my butt!  And, I was pissed!  I definitely have a competitive side and apparently so does my son (read on....) I did make sure I that I did not show I was upset that I could not get past 10th place in any of the races, after all, Chris was thrilled that I was even playing.  Mission complete, right?  NO!
It was then Lauren's turn to pick the game.  "Just Dance 2"....yeah!  I did not got to the gym that day, so I was pumped about the exercise!  We got through the first dance and apparently I "won".  I was not sure how this game is scored, but Lauren got mad and said, "I quit!".  Normally, my response would be something like, "fine, be a sore loser" or "Quitting doesn't get you anywhere". (yuk!) This day was different.  We talked it out.  I asked her what the reason was for quitting?  How does it make her feel to quit?  How would she feel if she stayed and chose "fun" over the need to win?  AAH! It worked.  She stayed and we danced some more....and had "fun".  So much so, that I heard my phone vibrating on the kitchen counter.  Lauren wanted to stop so I could answer.....I said, "nope! this is our time."
It was then time for Wii Sports!  Tennis to be exact.  Thank God, it was not visible to others!!  Again, my competitive side crept up a few times.  I was playing against Chris and apparently I served the ball a little to hard....he go mad, threw the Wii controller a the wall and stormed off, shouting, "you don't play fair and I quit!!" (What the . . . ????)
Normally I be fuming because I have a strict rule about throwing toys and respecting our things.  I walked over to him, gave him a hug and asked him if he really wanted to quit?  He had on his "angry face" and usually this is when I walk away.  But....I continued to hug him and told him that there will be lots of time in life when things seem hard or unfair and that quitting only makes life harder.  I asked him if he wanted to make this time hard or fun?  He said fun.  We played more tennis, then baseball and then more tennis!  I woke up Friday morning with a very sore arm! 
And, we did have fun!  I did not care how silly I looked dancing to "It's Raining Men" or how gimpy I looked driving around as "Diddy Kong" in Mario Kart.  I also noticed that when my kids were in their "stuff" around how they thought things should look, I chose in.  I chose to use the time and the experience to help them learn and grow, rather than letting them fester and marinade in it.  Becaue I chose to show up in a different way, they chose to show up differently as well.  hmmmmmmmm.......
Wii are good!  Wii had a great time!  Wii are a pretty cool family!