He asks to play Minecraft even before he walks in the door, fresh off the bus. Tossing his coat aside (somewhere near the coat rack), he scans the room for my “big phone” with the pink case and gets lost in the world he’s made until I holler that it’s time for homework (or dinner, or bed).

If you’re not familiar with Minecraft, it’s a game that has, apparently, been around forever. The graphics are kind of….Lego-ish and not exactly impressive. I think you build stuff and dig stuff and blow stuff up? Or something. And there’s zombies and “Creepers”. Or maybe those are the same thing. Clear as mud? Good.

He’ll talk the ears off of anyone that’ll listen, about “wouldn’t it be cool if there was a…” and “today, in Minecraft…”. Sometimes, at dinner, I have to remind him that he needs to continue taking bites before he starts another 5 minute speech in his not-so-inside voice, about his newest obsession. Sometimes, on trips, I have to remind him about how much trouble he’ll get into if he asks one more relative with a cell phone to download the (not-free) game.

His littlest sister likes to play, too, more than our oldest girl. And wouldn’t you know that a three and a half year old doll face talking about “are you in Survival?” is just about the cutest thing you’ve ever heard. And no. I don’t know what she’s talking about. Still. Can you blame me for switching my brain off when the stories of digging and building and creepers and zombies begin?

The two of them snuggle up together on the couch to watch each other play, which is, coincidentally, the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. It melts my cold, Minecraft-bored heart.

3yo: “Don’t essplode it, Henwy! Don’t ESSPLODE IT!”

7yo: “Blowing up TNT is AWESOME.”

3yo: “If you do that again, Henwy, I’m going to be SO MAD.”

See? So sweet. Ahem.

 

This post was in response to a prompt from Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop: Do you love it or hate it? An open letter to your child’s latest obsession.

The title comes from a Minecraft parody I saw on Facebook one day (but I can’t remember who shared it)

Linking up with My Time As Mom and Mama Track for Essence of Now.