Chris Price/iStock
"I got you to Fiji," my husband, Pete, told one of our sons as he stood in front of our TV playing Excite Bots, a new virtual racing game for the Wii.
"Did you come in first?" our son asked, but my husband didn't answer him right away. He was too busy doing the thing that I find so unbecoming of a grown-up: "cranking" the Wii wheel repeatedly so that his virtual "bot," shaped like a bug of some sort, spins around and around to sound effects that sound like a cartoon airplane. Then he thrusts the wheel forward until his bot shoots ahead or floats like a butterfly or whatever. I can't watch. It just looks so silly.
"Yeah," Pete finally answered, and our son nodded in approval.
Perhaps a woman who professed her love for the Wii Fit shouldn't poke fun at a man who enjoys playing a video game now and then. But my love has since died down to an infrequent admiration ever since I started taking Spinning classes at the gym. And I'll bet that he'll get over his addiction to the game-of-the-week* (er, month, at this point) soon enough. Until then, he's going to stay up after we've all gone to bed and guide his virtual grasshopper racing bot thingy to the next level in the game.
"Did you play video games in college?" I asked Pete after dinner the other night while he drove his bot down a virtual dirt road.
"Yeah...Donkey Kong...PacMan..." he replied.
I had no idea. After nearly 20 years together, I'm discovering a whole other side to my husband. A side that was now kicking virtual soccer balls into goals set along side the game's race track.
"Oh, I like that!" I blurted. He turned and smirked at his wife, the soccer coach. Then he turned back and started cranking the wheel again.
"But that looks ridiculous," I added. He ignored me.
"Good job, Dad!" my son offered, but I didn't understand what was going on.
"Can we go back to the soccer balls?" I asked. Everyone ignored me.
So far, I've had no desire to try the game out, especially since I tend to drive off cliffs in racing games while my children laugh at me. I prefer instead to leave it as something that allows my husband to bond with our children (and my husband with our Wii). It makes them all happy, especially when they get to Fiji, whatever the heck that means. I'll just go to Spinning class until they're done.
*Please note that I received Excite Bots, and many other games including the Wii Fit, for free, because I am a blogger. They just show up at my door. It's kind of cool, actually. But I write about the swag, not to mention stuff we pay for, only when they affect my family's lives (for better or worse), thereby making a good story for this blog.
Good Housekeeping
* The Secret to Perfect Brownies
* Best Recliners for Every Decorating Style
* Winter-Proof Your Car
* Remove Set-in Stains from Carpets
* For More Tips & Tricks You Can Count On: Subscribe to Good Housekeeping & Save!
Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
