The Crazy Things We Do For Our Kids

Boychild and girlchild were introduced to the wonderful world of W@bkinz during Christmas break last year. I resisted. I found a million excuses why they shouldn't (worry about having an animated computer pet that is). Another million excuses why I wouldn't (buy them one that is). Finally they wore me down and the deal was, they had to buy their own (which they each did but shhhhhhhh because boychild doesn't want the world to know he, at age 12, has a W@bkinz).

Now remember that with the shared custody arrangements, the children do not live here every day. In fact, they are not here for the majority of the time because that just isn't the living arrangement we've agreed to. And at their father's house, they are not allowed access to the internet so all of their W@bkinz time would be done at my house.

Boychild takes the laid back approach and says... ahh whatever with designing a room, completing jobs, and answering quiz questions. For him, it's all about the almighty KinzC@sh. He wants to play games and earn those bucks in order to buy stuff for his room. The dream purchase? A bowling alley.

Girlchild, on the other hand takes a more structured approach to her W@bkinz experience. She plays just enough games to be able to buy coordinated accessories for her room, planning one room at a time, making sure she answers quiz questions (because you can get more KinzC@sh doing that than by playing games, except that boychild hasn't figured that out yet) and completes jobs. She even went to far as to plant a massive W@bkinz garden. Yup, one plant just wasn't enough, she had to plant 5 different kinds of plants - oh and because one just isn't enough she decided to plant 3 each of 5 different plants. Here's the problem with that - if you don't tend to them, you wind up with a mess. Sure it's fixable with a few clicks of a mouse, unlike a "real" garden, but a mess nonetheless.

For some reason, both children seem to think that when they are not here, I have all kinds of time to sit and "play" W@bkinz for them so that they will continue to accummulate KinzC@sh, have "fresh produce", be entered into drawings, etc. And the first weekend when they were not here, I did have time to sit and tinker around on the computer so they accummulated some levels and gems and cash. I tried to play equally for each of them, because how can you not? If one pet earned 100 bucks, I would play for the other until they had also earned 100 bucks.

The start of my day used to be:

1) Get up
2) Turn on Computer
3) Head to B/R for call of nature and oral care
4) Sign into email and wake up over bits and pieces from friends and relatives
5) Tend to the live critters (ie fish, crabs, hamster)
6) Check the news headlines
7) Get ready for work
8) Enjoy the morning news program with a beverage/breakfast/internet surfing as the mood strikes

Now it's more like

1) Get up
2) Turn on Computer
3) B/R routine
4) Sign into W@bkinz for Child A and make sure to do the daily checklist as prescribed by each pet owner.
5) Sign out of Child A account and sign in for Child B. Repeat daily checklist for that pet.
6) Hurry up and get ready for work
7) Leave for work but come back in the door because the live critters didn't get fed.
8) Get to work only to wonder "did I love my W@bkinz today?"
9) Find out after work there was urgent email that went unanswered

I asked my girlchild, what's going to happen if I stop doing this for you? It's just a computer image, it's not like it's going to die. Totally wrong thing to say. If you want to be in the running for Mother of the Year, don't ever tell a child their W@bkinz pet doesn't deserve the same attention as the real live ones. Anyway, I do it. It's worth the look on their face when they find out they earned KinzC@sh even though they didn't have to do anything (they just get to go shopping) or when they find out that Mother is a little more eye hand coordinated than they thought when they discover the dual belted grocery game.

Girlchild asked me the other night, "Have you been putting Sadie on the toilet and giving her a bath every day?" Sorry, but I have to draw the line somewhere - I refuse to put a cartoon basset hound on a cartoon toilet.

So what sort of things do you do just to make your kids happy?