Clash of the Titans....or How to torture a 6 year old

[JohnL]

I might have told this story before, but my mother's friend used to bring her son over and from the time he was old enough to understand, all he wanted to do is play video games and watch horror/SF movies, but nothing old. I don't really have a movie collection, so it was whatever was on the various channels at the time, with maybe a taped movie here and there. I don't remember any specific titles, but I do recall that he didn't like things like the original Twilight Zone.

Of course, video games were the same way. Since I had a C64, he never wanted to bother with the Atari.  He lost interest in the Intellivision he had when his parents got him a Nintendo, which was then dumped in favor of a Sega Genesis, which he no longer plays since he has his own computer now and mostly only plays the latest 3D shooters.

This same kid also hated reading. His mother would buy him adventure games for his Nintendo and he wouldn't bother to read any of the conversations, then he'd get frustrated with the game because he couldn't get anywhere. One time he said he had to do a book report, so I loaned hin an average sized haunted house novel (Ghost House by Claire McNally, 214 pages). He brought it back a week later and I asked how he liked it. He said he didn't finish it and when I asked how far he'd gotten (thinking I'd tell him to keep it longer if he wanted to finish it) and he said "About halfway through the first chapter." How long is the first chapter? A whopping *9* pages! :(

BTW, he's now like 22-24 and has a daughter with his girlfriend.



Post Edited (11-17-03 08:29)

[Newt]

My soon-to-be-six-year-old son lives for  his tapes of the original Godzilla movies.   Black and white was a novelty to him - and soon dismissed, as he got 'into' the films.

He enjoys Clash of the Titans, and watches Jason and the Argonauts, Eye of the Tiger, etc. regularly, as well as the Star Wars, Indianna Jones, Jurassic Park  and LOTR series.  

And he thinks my collection of the old b+w Flash Gordon shows is a hoot.

I guess I must have done something right?  That's a relief!

A thought on the serious side:  I do believe it has something to do with attention span - and that is subject to the points Susan was making.  We are a family of readers, with only one tv which we watch together a good deal of the time.  Maybe that has made the difference.

[FearlessFreep]

I guess I must have done something right? That's a relief!

Same here :)

We are a family of readers, with only one tv which we watch together a good deal of the time. Maybe that has made the difference.

Our kids read a lot, and I read to them as well, as does my wife.  We don't have a video game players and the TV is not on all that much and that seems to make a difference

[Flangepart]

Man, make me feel old.
Corse, i  AM old to most of you whippersnappers...
Just what IS a "whippersnapper", anyhoo?

I grew up with old B&W flicks, as we could never afford a color T.V.
So, as that was my only basis for comparison, i was happy as a clam. They stimulated my imagination, and that was fine.
Godzilla, Them, Monster that challanged the word, hey, what ever was on Chiller Theater that week! I was there, and i got it.
  Now, i do like well done FX. "Star Wars" boggled my mind, sure as a Wookie is a sore loser. But....the story is what makes it work.
  Its sad, but too many kids have no ability to see beyond the physical action. Emotional connections are too much of a challange for them. And that is scary....
  Gotta say, JohnL, hope that ain't a potential scociopath your dealing with.
My mom taught me to read early. One more thing i have to thank her for. The local Library system was a Godsend for me, as i did not fit in with the school crowd, and i found sports a big "So?"
That changed as i got older, but still i love a good line. Verbal kung-fu is an under appreciated art form.
Hi-Keeba!

[Deej]

Flangepart wrote:

> Corse, i  AM old to most of you whippersnappers...
> Just what IS a "whippersnapper", anyhoo?
>.
> ......., i was happy as a  clam. >


Not only am I not sure what a whippersnapper is, I a bit dubious as to the happiness of clams. Tasty? Certainly. Happy? Not too sure.

I have come to terms with this fiasco in my own way...lots of denial and much skewing of facts. The boy is 6 years old, and since I didn't become a part of his life until he was 4, I can not possibly be to blame for his alarming lack of taste. I'm simply saying that since he had already lived 2/3 of his life thus far before I staggered into the picture, logically the damage must have already been done...yeah?

Of course, I shared this soilid theory with his mom(my sweet-patootie)and, of course, she had no reasonable defense. Just rolling of eyes, and throwing about of words like "immature" and "insufferable" and "obsessive" and "unbalanced", whatever that means.

She knows I'm right, she's just afraid to admit that she's wrong. Yes, as always, reason has triumphed! Anyone got an extra room or a pull out couch in the OKC area?



Post Edited (11-17-03 13:05)

[FearlessFreep]

Just rolling of eyes, and throwing about of words like "immature" and "insufferable" and "obsessive" and "unbalanced", whatever that means.

For you or the kid?

[raj]

Gotta agree with Susan, about everything being speeded up these days.  Some movies & tv shows I physically can't watch because they're just one quick image after another.  I think it's called "mtv style" but it just gives me a headache.

I loved Titans when it came out, the special effects reminded me of those old Sinbad movies, where they fight an army of skeletons.

My advice (for what it's worth -- not much), turn off the computer, video games, and tv, have the kid play and read.

[Susan]

>> grew up with old B&W flicks, as we could never afford a color T.V.
<<

Same here, and I'm 29..lol. My folks just never bought a color tv for the longest time (when they did it was 4 channels and rabbit ears) and most of the programming overseas was really old stuff...i mean I grew up thinking the Lone Ranger and Zorro were current shows. I do think tv is overstimulation, I mean we didn't have access to it 24 hours a day. Parents should not abuse it by giving kids a tv in their room or they'll never learn to love reading. I bet most of those parents who bought harry potter for their kids - the kids never read it to the end, they probably just went and bought the dvd.

So i don't think it's the type of programming to blame entirely, but the..total amount of time consumed watching the television or playing video games. Kids don't play outside anymore or read.

>>Some movies & tv shows I physically can't watch because they're just one quick image after another. I think it's called "mtv style" but it just gives me a headache.<<

Me too - I even can't stand going to a movie and seeing one of those trailers where they show about 1000 flashes of images from the film towards the end of the trailer with a bunch of banging music..as if that's going to entice me. And some of those video games have TOO much graphics that they sort of take the imagination out of it..for me anyhow.


Now what I'm curious about is what the next few decades will bring when these kids are adults and running the country.