No Computer Games!

Ian rushes into the house as soon as he gets off the bus and runs straight to the computer. He turns it on and waits. While it is setting up, he runs to the kitchen, grabs some cookies and a glass of milk, and heads back to the computer. He clicks start, goes to games, and clicks on his favorite one. The pinball game loads, and Ian puts the plate of cookies and glass of milk on the table next to him and grabs the keyboard. He presses the space bar and the ball is launched. It bounces off bumpers and goes through tunnels. Ian pays close attention to each and every move, making sure that he doesn't lose.

When the game ends, he has 3,254,198 points. He yells excitedly because this is another high score for him. He types his name in the high score box and presses F2 to start a new game. He keeps playing until his mom walks in the door.

"Ian, are you playing that pinball game again? Have you finished your homework?"

" No, Mom. I thought I would just play for a little while, and then I'll do my homework."

"It's already six o'clock, and you get home at four. I hope you haven't been playing for two hours." Ian's mom looks at him, and he lowers his head. He doesn't say anything, and his mom knows that he has been playing for that long. "Ian! I can't believe you! That does it! No more computer games for two weeks!"

"But, Mom," Ian begins. His mother cuts him off and tells him to sit down at the table and do his homework. He picks up his book bag, walks to the dining room, takes out his books, and begins his homework. His mother orders pizza because she doesn't feel like cooking, and the two of them sit at the table and eat while Ian is doing his homework.

"When's Dad going to be home?"

"Tomorrow. He told me last night that his next business trip won't be for a few months, so he'll be home for dinner for a while. Maybe I'll make him cook for a week or two." They laugh, and Ian's mother helps him with his math homework. "Do you want something for dessert? I think we have some ice cream in the freezer."

"That would be great." Ian continues working on his homework while his mom gets out the cookie dough ice cream and scoops it into a bowl for him. When she hands him the bowl, he thanks her and puts a big spoonful in his mouth. "This is so good! I love this flavor!" His mom smiles and tells him that she has some work she has to do and that he should finish his homework and get ready for bed. "If I finish early, can I play a few computer games?"

"What did I tell you earlier? No games for two weeks. You need to do something besides play computer games all the time."

"There's nothing to do around here."

"Oh, really? You can play basketball. You have a tree house. There are a lot of other things you can do. Use your imagination, and the two weeks will go by before you know it. Now, I really need to get my work done. I'll tuck you in when you're ready for bed."

Ian finishes his homework, takes the ice cream bowl into the kitchen, and heads to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth and makes funny faces in the mirror, and then he goes to his bedroom and puts on his pajamas. He walks into his mom's office and tells her good night. She smiles, walks him to his bedroom, tucks him in, and assures him that the two weeks without computer games will go by quickly.

The next day when Ian gets home from school, he does the same thing he always does. He runs inside, drops his book bag next to the door, and heads to the computer. Suddenly, he stops. There on the computer is a note from his mom reminding him that he is not allowed to use it to play games. His shoulders drop, and he slowly walks to the kitchen. He grabs an apple and some milk and sits at the table. After he has finished both, he tries to come up with something to do, but he can't think of anything. He finally grabs his reading book and heads to his tree house. He sits in there and reads the story he was assigned for homework. It doesn't take him long, so he is bored again very quickly. He climbs down and heads back into the house.

He walks into the den and looks at the board games, but they all require two players. Ian doesn't know what to do, so he gets the rest of his books and takes them into the dining room to do his homework. He doesn't have much, so he finishes before 5:00. His mother isn't going to be home for another hour, and he's not sure when his dad will be home. He picks up the phone and calls his friend, Dave. They talk for a few minutes, but Dave can't come over because he's helping his dad with some work around their house. Finally, Ian grabs his basketball and goes out to the driveway and shoots some hoops. After a few minutes, he's tired of that, so he shoots one last basket. As the ball goes through, Ian's dad pulls into the driveway.

"Dad!"

"Hey," his dad says as he climbs out of the car. "Shooting some hoops, I see. I thought you would be inside, playing some computer games. Last time we talked, you told me you had some high scores on pinball. I've got an idea. Let's go inside and play a few. I'm sure I can beat some of those scores."

"I would, but Mom won't let me."

"Why not?"

"I was playing the games all the time and not doing anything else, so I can't play a computer game for two whole weeks."

"Wow! Well, your mom knows what she's doing. Are you having fun doing other stuff?"

"I guess. I can't really come up with anything else to do. I've already finished my homework, played in the tree house, played basketball, and tried other things. I'm already bored."

"I'm sure it will get easier as the two weeks go by."

"Funny. That's what Mom says."

"Great minds think alike," Ian's dad says and gives Ian a few playful punches. Ian laughs and walks inside with his dad. The two of them look in the refrigerator and pantry as Ian's dad tries to figure out what he can cook for dinner. "What did you and Mom have last night?"

"Pizza. She didn't feel like cooking."

"And there's none left," his dad exclaims when he sees the empty pizza boxes in the recycle bin. He finally decides that he'll make spaghetti and asks Ian if that's okay with him. Ian says it is and grabs the vegetables out of the refrigerator while his dad gets the saucepan out. Ian washes the vegetables and gives them to his dad to be chopped. His dad chops tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. He puts them in the pan, covers it, and lets the vegetables cook for a while. When the vegetables have cooked just right, he adds some pasta sauce and some canned diced tomatoes. He lets that heat while he gets the spaghetti cooked. He also fixes some garlic bread and puts it in the bread basket. Ian helps by setting the table and filling the glasses with ice.

By the time everything is done, Ian's mom is home, and the three sit down to dinner. "This is great spaghetti," Ian's mom says to her husband.

Ian's dad smiles and replies, "Thank you, but I can't take all the credit. Ian helped too." He looks at Ian, and Ian smiles back.

They finish dinner, clear the table, wash the dishes, and decide to watch a movie together. Ian runs to the DVD cabinet, picks his favorite movie, and puts it in the DVD player. He jumps on the couch and waits for his parents. They come in, sit down, and begin watching the movie. When it ends, it is a little past Ian's bedtime, so they tell him to get ready for bed. He does, and his dad comes in to tuck him in. They talk for a few minutes, and then his dad turns out the light and shuts the door.

He walks to the office where his wife is working and asks about Ian's computer games restrictions. She tells him that Ian was coming home from school and getting on the computer and not doing anything else at all for two hours. She explains to him that Ian needs to get outside and play other games besides those on the computer, and her husband agrees. After they finish talking, he tells her that he is tired and goes to bed.

When Ian gets home from school the next day, he does his normal routine. He heads straight for the computer only to see the sign again. "Oh, man! Now what am I going to do?" He hears a noise in the kitchen and walks in there.

His dad is getting the milk out of the refrigerator. "Do you want a glass?"

"Sure. What are you doing home? I thought you had to work today."

"I did. But I decided to come home a little early, so we could hang out some more. Maybe we can play some board games and shoot some hoops. It'll be fun."

"That would be great!" For the next two weeks, Ian's dad comes home early, and the two of them hang out together every day. They find all kinds of neat things to do, and they have a lot of fun. Before Ian knows it, he is allowed to play computer games again, but he doesn't really care. He now has a lot of new things he can do besides play on the computer all the time.