Anonymous wrote:
You know what's worse? Having a husband addicted to Minecraft. Then claiming he has to talk to DS about it, because it's a bond, etc. Then DS gets all excited about his playing time on there, not realizing that DH spends half the night Minecrafting and that's why he gets so much done in it.

I am about to put my foot down on the adult Minecraft in my house.

Like it or not, it IS a bond. My son loves saving Mommy from zombies.

You know what's worse? Having a husband addicted to Minecraft. Then claiming he has to talk to DS about it, because it's a bond, etc. Then DS gets all excited about his playing time on there, not realizing that DH spends half the night Minecrafting and that's why he gets so much done in it.

I am about to put my foot down on the adult Minecraft in my house.

Anonymous wrote:Leave her alone and let her play Minecraft. The poor girl is probably retreating from the confusion of puberty etc -- better Minecraft than a lot of things. I bet she's using it as a way to hang onto childhood. Let her.

+1

Leave her alone and let her play Minecraft. The poor girl is probably retreating from the confusion of puberty etc -- better Minecraft than a lot of things. I bet she's using it as a way to hang onto childhood. Let her.

Anonymous wrote:My two kids are also into the stupid videos - Pat and Jen, I think? I LOATHE their voices.

I wouldn't actually mind the minecraft - creativity, etc.

Watching videos of people playing minecraft is AWFUL.

Agreed that their voices are annoying! But their relationship is actually quite sweet. They root for each other. I'm kind of happy that my son is seeing this as a model of equal marriage.

My two kids are also into the stupid videos - Pat and Jen, I think? I LOATHE their voices.

I wouldn't actually mind the minecraft - creativity, etc.

Watching videos of people playing minecraft is AWFUL.

Relax OP. There are a lot worse things she could be doing at 13. Minecraft is a creative program that also can be social. My 14 year old son set up his own private server so that his friends could join him in building their universe. At least he is not doing other "social" things like drinking and taking drugs.

I think Minecraft attracts kids that are creative because they are able to build houses and gardens and stores and worlds. They can also Skype with their friends while building.

Can you channel it into something like a coding class? My son loves taking classes now where he can program his own games. Also, I would insist on at least one other activity a week that doesn't require a screen.

Maybe you can let her play with other kids in the same world. My son does this with other friends. They are super chatty with each other. They even act out scenarios in real life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you considered that it's her age and not the program? Most 13 year olds act the same way sans Minecraft.

Yes, of course it's her age. I'm saying the Minecraft is sucking her in partly because of the age she's at. Maybe if it wasn't Minecraft it would be something else, but who knows.

It would be something else. I used to watch Mtv like a junkie, and it drove my mom crazy.

Just set restrictions on the computer, and be done with it. Apple computers are super easy to set up parental controls. My middle school kids get a set time and the time has to be used before 9pm. Done. Not a word of arguing or hassle.

My 5 year old -- so opposite end of the spectrum -- talks incessantly about minecraft, begs to play the moment we walk in the door, and is generally obsessed. And he's not interested in doing any of the creative work people say is so great -- he just digs giant rivers of lava.

Anonymous wrote:Have you considered that it's her age and not the program? Most 13 year olds act the same way sans Minecraft.

Yes, of course it's her age. I'm saying the Minecraft is sucking her in partly because of the age she's at. Maybe if it wasn't Minecraft it would be something else, but who knows.

Have you considered that it's her age and not the program? Most 13 year olds act the same way sans Minecraft.

It is turning my once social dd into a recluse. She's nearly 13 and all of a sudden she's retreated into the Minecraft world, watching stupid videos on Youtube all the time. It's all she wants to do.

Yes, restricting the screens now. But, there's a price to pay for it in terms of sulking, some depression, loss of interest in other activities -- everything geared toward getting back to the screen as quickly as possible.