My son is on Club Penguin.
Again. But it is all right.
If you haven’t heard about it and you are a parent of a k-6th grader you will. It’s an online virtual icy world It's an animated island where kids take penguin identities and waddle around and talk to each other. They don’t say very much (except for my son). They walk about, clumsily bumping into other penguins until one decides to dance or pass gas or invite you to eat virtual pizza at the island’s hot spot.. In short it’s a suburban boy’s dream-- It's socialization. It’s tag line “Waddle around and meet new friends” is just a start to the fun that can happen.
So, of course that one “Alternative to TV week” that took place in our South Jersey town had turned him into an avid social networker since TV was out of the question that week and therefore among many of my son’s friends and my friends.
Regardless if for over two years I had been trying to get him to use a computer more, start learning to type with 10 fingers and use the internet for research. In less than two weeks Club Penguin has succeeded where I have failed.
Oh Lord of virtual arctic blizzards where have you been?
As I type this he is urging me to look at something he can do with his personalized red penguin like press capital “ET” for a singing gas pass.
I spent some time looking over his shoulder initially and still do occasionally ---sometimes while he watches, sometimes not, just to make sure that he safe online.
“You’re not the boss of me” he messages to a girl penguin that has been telling what to do.
I just shake my head.
“Isn’t that the girl you were sitting at a pizza shop with just the other day?” I ask
“Yes”
“She is following me around everywhere and telling me what to do,” he says.
I smile and think to myself: I thought he would be about 13 years old before I heard that one.
“Okay, just play nice,” I say.
“Okay Mommy,” Matth says.
Earlier that week he ASKED to do the SpongeBob typing tutor we got him for Christmas and he hadn’t opened yet. You couldn’t have made me happier if you said YOU just won a free ticket to Ladies Night Out. Practically leaping for the CD to get it out of the case I put it in and he worked on it for almost 1 ½ hours.
Did I mention that as of today Club Penguin has no advertising. Yeeeahh and… The site has been granted The Better Business Bureau’s Kid’s Privacy Seal of Approval.
Yes I can hear your jaw dropping now….Yes very cool. Almost as cool as getting forty one snow balls to lob at your new online buddy, but I have to admit the negative now.
It’s addictive. I’m convinced after two weeks my son is addicted to this island paradise.
My son is 8 years old and it looks like some of the kids online with him are about 7 to 13 years old.
As I watch him waddle from ice rink to pizza place to sled hill defrosted tears just well in my eyes.
I sigh and say --All this and its kid-friendly? Just to be on the safe side I limit his time to only 25 minutes each day.
Okay I say ..Being Catholic and knowing that too much of a good thing is not good for you I say Okay only 5 more minutes then you need to log off.
“But I’m looking for Ben. He’s playing in the ski-lodge,” he says.
"I’m sure that you will be able to see him in class tomorrow,” I say and watch my son with one eye on his computer etiquette and one eye on the weather. It's finally starting to get warmer outside. His interests will change so quickly just as the seasons do.
