Is this how it's supposed to be?

[Sandra Ostapowich]

So I got my son a laptop for Christmas. He has been playing Roblox pretty much all day, every day for the last 3 weeks. He has become unsociable and isn't interested in doing anything else because (he tells me) he will have to stop playing and might "miss his Roblox friends". From what I can tell from when I observe and ask questions about what he's doing, there isn't much interaction going on and he spends his time running his toon around from place to place by himself.

I can't pull his interest away into anything, I'm lucky if I don't get tons of sulking and complaints when I insist he comes with me to run errands (he's only 8 and I'm not comfortable leaving him home alone for long periods of time). He won't even watch movies or TV shows, much less read anything that doesn't show up in game.

Am I doing something wrong? Should I just trust that the (rather obsessive) interest will fade and move into something else?

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

Alex thanks for the cool game links and details on Roblox.  Raghu has been playing Club Penguin. He plays Hotwheels cars via a friends cd.  His wii got messed up becuase of an electricity issue :-(  Trying to get fixed or get new.  He enjyed Runescape but needed me there for next to him... which is sometimes hard due to Zoya needing me.  I'm almost thinking i need to have computers set up next to each other and reconfigure my home a bit... so we can do multiple things closer to each other.  many a time I think the issue is having a set structure for the house based on how its built.  And really what i need to do is make the front room a play area and the inside room a sit-area.  And the play area can have the computer, viewable from kitchen and upstairs... so easier to help verbally, be around etc.  

 

Hope i'm not totally off topic... but for me with one child deeply interested in all things gaming/computer and the other not so much... i have to physically make myself available to both... so meeting their needs effectively in the same space would be better for Raghu's gaming fun too. 

 

 

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

Alex... just spent happy time with Raghu exploring the games you mention.  He immediately took to Wizard101.  He loved Runescape but either our internet was too slow or the reading, movement was hard for him.  So this is a better version of a similar platform... i think they are similar in ways.  We love it.  Thanks!!  He is called Wolf Shadowsword... for anyone online.  hema

[Sara W.]

My Son (11) plays Roblox all day now too. I get the same attitude from him when I ask him to do anything. I am trying to 'let go' of expectations of him. I know he enjoys it and I have to trust that he is learning. He gets really excited about it and tries to talk to me about his guy, but I'm not very interested. After reading the replies I will now try to tollerate it more and show a bit more interest in his Roblox adventure. He only just discovered it over the weekend from a new homeschool friend. His username is 'shamalamabingbong' (cute :)) for your kidlets to add as a friend too. I made a list of the other boys names for him to add as well.

I am new to this too. I just pulled him out of public school last Thursday, so we are really new to Unschooling. 

Blessings Mama's!!

[Alex Polikowsky]

Sara W. said:

After reading the replies I will now try to tollerate it more and show a bit more interest in his Roblox adventure. .

I am new to this too. I just pulled him out of public school last Thursday, so we are really new to Unschooling. >>>>>

 

 

 Do not try to tolerate it! That is not the atttitude that is going to get you closer to your son!

Embrace it. If your son just left public school he needs a lot os deschooling and it can take many months to do so.

If he is excited about something and wants to share it with you take that as a great sign that you are important to him.

Its very inmportant to have a great realationship and connection to you child for unschooling to work well.

 Re-read my first post and try some of it.

Here is some good reading too:

 

http://sandradodd.com/beginning

http://sandradodd.com/deschooling

http://sandradodd.com/videogames/

[Alex Polikowsky]

Hema I am gald Raghu is enjoying them! MD has been really into Minecraft lately!

It another really cool game!

 Have fun!

 

[Laura Gorzycki]

We have some avid Roblox players in our house as well. We have four kids and 4 computers in the house and at times all 4 are playing at the same time.  They love it.  One thing that helped me was for me to make an account and play myself.  I got a better idea of what you can do.  My 9 year old has been playing Roblox for atleast 3 or 4 years.  He still plays alot but other interests come and go.  As he has gotten older his interests and emphasis on the game has grown.  He has learned alot from Roblox.  It is not unusual for the kids to make a comment about something (the other day it was something about the TItanic) and I ask where they heard/saw that and for them to reply Roblox.  From songs to things about WW2.  My 9 year old doesnt read fluently yet but he often credits Roblox for what reading he has, and it is impoving all the time.

[Laura Gorzycki]

Alex,

James and Ben have been playing MineCraft alot lately too.  They are so much better than me, I had to set mine on peaceful so I could build anything, because I was getting killed by zombies too much.  DO you know how to do the multiplayer mode.  They have just building themselves and figuring the game out but I dont think it will be too long when they will want to play with others.

[Laura Gorzycki]

If anyone wants more Roblox friends my kids are JandB2001, BenJAMin 2003, Paulos2003, and GJames oh and I am CrazyFlapJack1

[Alex Polikowsky]

Laura you can play multiplayer on Beta mode.

YOu need to find a server.

MD just found one working today since they had an update

sincraft.servergame.com

 He finds a lot of info on Youtube and the MinecraftWiki and forums.

 He likes the videos that Simon and Louie ( or is it Lewis) well you can search youtube on either name and

find the Brittish guys. They are funny!

Oh and he is MegaSonicKing!

[Laura Gorzycki]

James and Ben are both Darthpolka

Alex Polikowsky said:

Laura you can play multiplayer on Beta mode.

YOu need to find a server.

MD just found one working today since they had an update

sincraft.servergame.com

 He finds a lot of info on Youtube and the MinecraftWiki and forums.

 He likes the videos that Simon and Louie ( or is it Lewis) well you can search youtube on either name and

find the Brittish guys. They are funny!

Oh and he is MegaSonicKing!

[Sara W.]

"Tollerate" came out all wrong. We do need some serious deschooling, mainly me :)  I love that kid. I do enjoy his exuberance for video games. I have no clue about them and just want to make sure he's not rotting his brain and using it for the greater good. I've read some negative and some positive about playing VG's all the time and it's hard to differentiate opinions from facts. Ya know?  I think I will create a profile for myself too so that I can enjoy and share this love with him. It'll give us more to talk about.

Thank you for pointing that out. 

Blessings!! :)

Alex Polikowsky said:

Sara W. said:

After reading the replies I will now try to tollerate it more and show a bit more interest in his Roblox adventure. .

I am new to this too. I just pulled him out of public school last Thursday, so we are really new to Unschooling. >>>>>

 

 

 Do not try to tolerate it! That is not the atttitude that is going to get you closer to your son!

Embrace it. If your son just left public school he needs a lot os deschooling and it can take many months to do so.

If he is excited about something and wants to share it with you take that as a great sign that you are important to him.

Its very inmportant to have a great realationship and connection to you child for unschooling to work well.

 Re-read my first post and try some of it.

Here is some good reading too:

 

http://sandradodd.com/beginning

http://sandradodd.com/deschooling

http://sandradodd.com/videogames/

[Hema A Bharadwaj]

So today Raghu's first pet.. a dragon egg hatched.  Despite spending some time online and in the lovely, elaborate help section of the wizard site... i'm not able to help raghu with this aspect:  how to get the baby dragon to fly around the city with Raghu's character.  the dragon is staying in the house.  Many characters are moving around the city with their pets.  I'm either not using the right words to search for answers or the answer is infront of me and i'm not seeing it.  

Raghu did go to his backpack and pressed the equip button for the Dragon.  But nothing changed.  Any ideas?

Alex Polikowsky said:

Hema I am gald Raghu is enjoying them! MD has been really into Minecraft lately!

It another really cool game!

 Have fun!