My teen son is like a bean pole, over 6 foot tall and so skinny you can see his pelvic bones (he uses them to stop his Jeans falling down), he is active though not sporty in a participating in team sport type way. When he was about 8, and could swim a few lengths of the local pool on front and back, I was informed that there was no more need for lessons. While he liked swimming he really didn’t like to be told what to do. Most of his football playing then, save informal mates games and school sports has taken place via the terraces, the TV or the PlayStation consul. He is also frequently to be found posting on football related web forums and appears to know what team is lining up, who is playing for whom etc before even the newspapers do.

He is not clear about where his future career lies, and as someone who felt the draw to nursing at a young age (this involved bandaging and splints on dolls and teddys) I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. Many people criticise the kids of today for the way that they apparently spend too much time at a computer / games consul screen but for most the interaction that takes place is less of an obesity forming problem and more of an advantage. The first time I properly realised this could be true was when Matt used his Age of Empires strategic play and knowledge to pass the end of year history exam with top marks! I am further encouraged today by a post on Loopy Librarian’s Health Media roundup which orignated in the Guardian:

“It is the ultimate excuse for every video-gamer accused of spending too long hunched over a console: “I’m not addicted. I’m just honing my surgical skills.” A study has found a direct link between skill at video gaming and skill at keyhole, or laparoscopic, surgery. Young surgeons who spent at least three hours a week playing video games in the past made 37% fewer errors, were 27% faster, and scored 42% better overall than surgeons who had never played a video game at all.”

Now my squeamish son is not about to become a surgeon, I doubt he possesses the single minded determinationand required to become a doctor and with the current state of the NHS that is not such a bad thing. But it is heartening to see that my suspicion that computer games, and their use are not such a terrible thing.

The application form for a part time job he asked me to obtain today from the local Sainsbury’s is also a start in the right direction to developing a bit more of a work ethic, after all no one wants a complete lay about for a son! One day he might be someone’s husband and I already have something of a couch potato of my own!