I was scrolling Instagram when a video stopped me in my tracks. A mom had taken Roblox away from her son and she posted a video of him having a full blown meltdown.The boy was on the floor sobbing, like his world had ended. Then the video cut to three months later and that same child was playing the violin like a prodigy. The talent had been sitting inside him the whole time just waiting for the screen to get out of the way.
I watched it and thought — I know this story. Because I lived it.
Let me paint you a picture of what our game room used to look like. Five TVs. LED lights. Every console you can think of as a matter of fact we had two PS5’s an Xbox One and all the other consoles up until those. It was a whole setup, the kind of room that kids dream about and parents build because it’s exactly what they wanted when they were kids. My kids loved it. They lived in it. And for a long time I told myself it was fine because that’s what kids do.
I was never a fan of kids playing video games but the feeling I had turned from a simple annoyance to concern. They were spending way too much time playing video games and they didn’t hold interest in anything else. They would rush home from activities just to go home and play their games.They were halfassing chores and schoolwork to play video games. When their friends came over all they did was play the game together. I hated it.
So I took it away.
The transition was not smooth. My kids acted bored. They pleaded. They moped. They whined -ugh I hate whining. They didn’t know what to do with themselves. I held the line anyway. We took every TV down, pulled down the LED lights and officially closed up the “Game Room”.
And after a few uncomfortable weeks my kids started looking up. Literally. They started participating in the world around them, asking questions, and getting restless in a productive way. That restlessness is what I looked forward to. Boredom — real boredom — is one of the most underrated tools a parent has. It creates a hunger that screens are quietly killing.
My boys are now in teen trade school learning HVAC, plumbing, electrical and refrigeration. My 14 year old engages, meets people. He is building skills that will follow him into adulthood and pay him well.
And the game room? We’ve decided to turn it into a mudroom. The five TVs, the LED lights, the whole setup have all been removed, I’m kind of embarrassed it ever existed honestly. A functional, practical space that actually serves our family is what it will be. We traded passive consumption for active living and I’m so proud of that.
I’m not here to tell you that screens are evil or that your kids are doomed if they play video games. That’s not my message. My message is that I looked up one day and realized that the game room I built with good intentions had become a substitute for real life and my kids deserved real life.
That video on Instagram reminded me of the amazing amount of progress we’ve made once we took a step back and reevaluated everything. A boy in meltdown mode becoming a violin prodigy in three months. My son becoming more engaged and present. The talent, the curiosity, the personality was always there. The screen was just in the way.
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your kids is take something away.