Wii must go, now..

After three months of trying to manage the fits, tantrums, screaming, manipulation, and non-stop whining about the Wii my husband and I have adopted a "weekends only" policy for the Wii.  And even that is contingent on behavior, considering how often the boys are wailing on each other.

So today, after a monumental second win for the seven year-old's basketball team, and the four year-old's gentleman behavior, a one-hour hike, the completion of all homework, and a lecture I gave in and let them have an hour of Wii.

Low and behold what happened in the end?  They not only screamed at each other almost the entire hour but when I said time's up, they came upstairs screaming irrationally about everything.  I asked the four year-old if he'd been picking at his lip again as it was bloody and raw.  "NO! AIYA DID IT! I SAID STOP THE GAME AND HE DIDN'T AND THIS HAPPENED!"  (No I didn't forget the caps lock, he was yelling at the top of his lungs and he's got a good pair, promise)

The seven year-old went to the TV straight away and tried to turn it on and I said no. He returned with "THAT'S NOT FAIR YOU TREAT ME LIKE A SLAVE!" (Also said with great projection thanks to all the damn exercise we get.)

The four year-old stayed within 6 inches of me for the next 25 minutes jumping up and down and screaming.  The seven-year-old would stay quiet for 3-4 minutes and the come over and say this is what you look like, and then proceed to jump up and down and scream incoherently at both of us.

I wish I could tell you that I kept my cool, used I statements, Love and Logic, or 1-2-3 Magic.  I can not.  That would mean reading one of those parenting books and we've already been through that, A? I threw a tantrum of my own - a mommy tantrum as a friend calls them.  That's when I blew it, I said, "I'm going to thow the Wii away it makes you all crazy."  That's when they both lost it, throwing themselves on the floor, on me, screaming, crying.

We finally did salvage the evening but I was determined to find out if there is scientific proof that the Wii is causing brain damage.  Here are the signs.  Hold onto your hats, because I don't think the Wii is the only activity that is causing brain damage.

For parents who are concerned about the possible risk of seizures, it may be helpful to observe the child during the game and watch for signs of possible seizures:

• brief episodes of blank staring, during which the child seems momentarily frozen in place
• rapid blinking or twitching of the mouth or face
• jerking movements of other parts of the body
• loss of attention
• brief inability to talk or respond
• reports from the child that things look, sound, smell, or feel different than usual

According to this, I am also a possible cause of seizures not only in my children but my husband.  All three boys in this house exhibit these behaviors when I speak to them.  Maybe I should throw myself out.