Wii are now hip

Skeeter came home last night with a Wii.

This is a Big Deal.

We have never been "in" on the game systems. Until a year ago, we only had a Sega Genesis that I bought for Skeeter in 1993. Yes. 1993. We had fun with that Sega though. Skeeter and I were a little bit addicted to Ghouls and Ghosts.

About a year ago we bought a used Nintendo GameCube for the family. Spyder likes the epic games like Harry Potter, but Skeeter and Sass and I prefer the old style games. Pinball is the current favorite. But even that move into newer gaming systems was behind the times, as the Wii had already been introduced, and the GameCube was out of production.

And about a month ago, I bought a Nintendo DS for the children. A friend was selling it, and I had been debating on getting one for a while, so I bought it on somewhat of a whim. The children have enjoyed it though.

So then yesterday, the Wii.

This foray into current gaming technology is dizzying. And I've heard horror stories recently about children who prefer to do nothing other than play video games, so I've been a bit concerned about the recent acquisitions.

Skeeter set up the system today, and the children and I spent a happy hour or so playing bowling. And then? They went outside for the rest of the afternoon -- making an obstacle course, drawing butterflies, and making a drainage system for the "Spyder Pond" that they made.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the game systems, but I'm less concerned about how it will affect the children.