Coronavirus Xbox To The Rescue

"…school campuses will remain physically closed for the remainder of the year."

That one sentence from my son's school yesterday brought a wide range of conflicting emotions to my household.

Parents: dread, fear, stress

Kids: hope, freedom, loneliness

The first sign of how the coronavirus adversely affected my son was when he, unbeknownst to his parents, invited his friend over to play Xbox. His friend said his father wasn't letting him go anywhere.

These last three weeks with the whole family at home have been good. And I wondered, why have there been fewer arguments, less stress, than when the four of us have been home together in the past. 

One word comes to mind: Homework

The second is: Xbox

I knew homework was a source of stress in our lives, but never truly appreciated how good life could be without it.  Now not only will parents have to help kids manage their homework, but also manage their classwork. The question is no longer are you smarter than a fifth-grader, it is are you smarter than a tenth-grade math teacher?

  

Initially, my son's face lit up when he heard he no longer had to go to school. I knew he was thinking more Xbox time and his new game was coming out April 2. Then I reminded him about the one online course he took last semester and how tough it was for him to self motivate himself to complete the assignments on time. The smile disappeared. 

Fortunately, my oldest son is already out of high school, so we only have to help my youngest son complete his work. Hopefully my oldest son will jump in and help as well.

But it is my oldest son that is missing school the most. By June, he was set to finish the two trade schools he was enrolled in,  pursue his career, and move on with his life. Unfortunately, both schools are closed. They require a certain number of hands-on training hours to complete the programs. If the schools open May 5 as scheduled, he could finish by August. But there's a very real chance that they may not reopen until the Fall. He told me a week ago, "Dad, I really miss school." Those were words that I had never heard him say.

He has applied for grocery store jobs but with no luck. Since we claim him as a dependent he cannot receive the stimulus check even though he worked last year and paid taxes.

The best thing for both of my sons has been the Xbox. Not only as a break from reality, but as a social tool. I hear both boys talking, laughing, and arguing with their buddies and each other as they play together online.  I hear them talk about school, dating, and politics.

The best decision I made at Christmas was to buy a second Xbox to prevent sharing conflicts.

Microsoft's new marketing angle should be: "Beat self-isolation - connect with Xbox! Prevent conflicts, buy one for each family member."

However, the Xbox can't hide the fact that homework is coming, 6.6 million people went on unemployment last week, and schools are closed.

As parents we just have to continue doing what we have been doing all along, prepare, help, and educate. Plus, it wouldn't hurt if we got some Xbox play time in their along with their kids.

Take care everyone.

Posts: Monday, Thursday, Saturday