You know, if I was a parent, it would be at this point that I’d rip the game from his hands, stash it in my backpack, and force him to enjoy history goddamnit. This vacation cost a lot and the game is only for the hotel and travel time.
imagine trying to force someone to think that stonehenge is fun
“look kid we’re a ridiculous distance from a bunch of broken rocks how could you possibly be bored this is totally an appropriate vacation spot for someone this age.”
Ah, fuck. Shit like this always gets to me, the tired old technophobe spiel and maybe it’s because it’s so rampant in my field (I work in outdoor education), but it just starts feeling so goddamn derivative after a while, nouveau hipsters who think the world is ending because kids play too many video games.
But what we’re missing is that this kid’s parents bought him his SP and a copy of Leaf Green (the employee at the game store said it would be perfect for him) so that he would shut up on the plane ride over and not bother them in the hotel, imagining that as soon as they touched down the kid would put the thing down and appreciate all the castles and grass and cafes and operas and rocks and ~*~culture~*~, because that’s what culture and history are, right? A bunch of old rocks.
What they missed is this kid staying up way past his bedtime the night before their plane flew out on message boards and chat rooms trying to find out which is the best starter, finally settled on a Squirtle and named it Rocky, and right now while his parents are appreciating rocks he and Rocky have got to save the whole world from Team Rocket because he’s a hero and that’s what heroes do and he’s so invested in this story and this world, he thinks he might have found the place where Machops live, why should he care about a guide droning on about Romans and a bunch of old people taking pictures?
But please, go ahead and take the Gameboy from him, break it in half and remind him that you spent A LOT on this vacation, and HOW DARE HE. You will FORCE him to ENJOY his GODDAMN VACATION because it’s REAL LIFE. Wonder why he’s so upset, you’re the one who spent money on the thing? All he invested in it was time and emotion, and those things are definitely less important than money, when you’re eight. Wonder why he’s so disconnected from education, when you’ve managed to turn it into a punishment, a deprivation, a source of misery? Go on and repeat the tired old technophobe line until you’re red in the face, share it on Facebook and reblog it on Tumblr and retweet it on Twitter: nobody but you knows how to live ~*~REAL LIFE~*~ because we’re so busy exploring imaginary worlds.
Kids don’t just need to be taught when to use devices, we as their parents and guardians also need to be taught why they use devices. If a kid is more invested in Kanto than Stonehenge, why? How can we change our approach so kids ~*~appreciate real history~*~? And if not, can’t we just accept and appreciate that this kid will go back to the third grade, say “Yeah, I saw Stonehenge, it was neat, but who wants to trade a Haunter for my Machoke?”
the commentary!
Yes, the commentary!
There’s also the possibility that this kid is waiting in line and has been for a while, and is doing what many bored people do while in line: entertaining himself. I mean, above commentary is really spot on. Would there be this level of OMG OUTRAEG if he were reading a book?
Let’s be honest, Stonehenge today is a SHITTY place to bring a little kid if you want them to be interested. Maybe back when you could still actually walk up to the stones and see how big they are and the shaping marks and the rest of it, but these days unless you already know about it and you’re into the ~mystery~ or whatever it’s like: oh. Rocks. Aight.
And you can’t get too close to them either, right? Just look at them from a distance. I, personally, would LOVE to see Stonehenge (or any henge! There’s so many amazing ones!) but a little kid PROBABLY won’t care. Heck, most ADULTS would not care. Wow, ancient rocks. Whoop.
Honestly, I am interested in Stonehenge and even I have no interest in standing in line for ages to sort of see it from a distance.