Together Wii Stand

Full Speed and I retrieved T.Puzzle from Grandma and Grandpa’s and our long day at home began. Full Speed was feeling much better of course, so he was in high need of entertainment. I had anticipated this and had sent Mad Dog to Blockbuster to rent some Wii games and a couple movies.

I talked up the first movie big time. ‘The Race to Witch Mountain’ is going to be super cool and exciting I said to them. Full Speed couldn’t believe his luck, it sounded too good to be true. At around 10am I put the movie on for them and headed downstairs to get caught up on an out-of-control laundry situation. No sooner than I began to fold a Spider-man t-shirt, Full Speed started shouting at me.

“Mom! Come here and push play. The movie is not starting.” I could hear the frustration rising in his voice.

I was in denial. I was going to attempt to explain my way out of having to trek all the way back upstairs.

“Full Speed, I started it, now watch the movie!” I did my best scary-Mom voice to get my point across.

“No you didn’t Mom, come and press play.” He had peaked my curiosity. I was certain the movie was on when I left the room; I was trying to figure out if I was that out of touch with my reality to have not started the movie and walk away.

I made the trip up the steps (holding only a tiny grudge in my heart, I hate laundry anyway). As my head cleared the top stair I had a view of the TV. The movie was on and the action had started in full force. The movie was bewitching and mountainous.

“Full Speed, I told you the movie was on, this is what it looks like,” I stated as I tried to hold my exasperation in check (I don’t think I did a very good job).

“Where are the racers, then?” he asked.

Oh, I got it; Full Speed is a die-hard race car guy. He thought the race to Witch Mountain was an actual NASCAR-type race. Since it is not, he immediately lost interest and I had nine hours until bedtime (he didn’t nap either; you would think he would, that’s not Full Speed’s style even if he has a fever) to keep him occupied.

I turned to the Wii games. Full Speed is old enough to hold his own in Wii sports (he had a celebrated day last year in which he beat Mad Dog in both bowling and golf) but other games are slightly beyond his grasp. The solution is to give him a controller, keep one for yourself and then play the game using only your controller while allowing the belief that Full Speed is the commandeer of operations. Works like a charm. The major flaw in this plan is that you actually have to play the game yourself. While some of these games can be fun on an occasional basis, most are mind-numbing to me in their machinations.

I had to play G-Force and maneuver Darwin (a Disney guinea pig character) through his nine levels of special ops training. When we made it to level six, the sharp-shooting section, I dreamed of being able to turn the laser gun on Darwin himself. I knew it was time to end the game.

We tried a few other various video games with much of the same outcome. I don’t like video games about guinea pigs. I don’t like video games in general. I’m a girl. I’m an adult. I’d rather read a good book and drink a glass of Chardonnay. I gave up and let them watch a television program of their own choosing. That’s how I made it until lunchtime.

After lunch, I put them to bed (T.Puzzle slept gloriously for TWO hours, Full Speed spent his time calling out to me and negotiating that it really was time for him to get up now), and felt the weight of the remainder of the afternoon pressing down on me.

Then, the heavens opened up and the stars aligned. Aunt Skee had sent a care package for Full Speed’s now canceled eye surgery. She had gifts a-plenty for Full Speed and even one for T.Puzzle so he wouldn’t feel left out (she’s good like that). Lo and behold, two new Transformers for them to play with. The real gift is that they played quietly with them for over forty-five minutes. That’s an all time record.

If I had opened the care package and found a Wii game instead, I would have lost it for sure.