I am a gamer. I am also a mom, of two beautiful girls, 11 and 4. Both of them are creative and imaginative enough that I wouldn't be surprised if they follow in my footsteps for at least some of my hobbies.
I've been a gamer since, well, ever since I can remember, really... I used to play with my dad's painted miniatures and dice sets when I was a little girl myself. I made up my own live-action rps with my friends all through grade school - loosely based off of a bizarro combination of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, The Dark Crystal, and Star Wars. Sometimes GI Joe was thrown in for fun. My dad ran a mini-campaign for my friends and I in junior high (where I learned that mages are in general too squishy, but they kick ass and take names if they live long enough), and I started "serious" gaming in senior high (where I met my husband and fellow gamer and co-conspirator). "Serious" gaming as in all-weekend sessions, from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Sleep was rarely a part of that equation.
I gamed as a young adult, trying out several different genres, but always came back to good old AD&D. I gamed straight through both pregnancies (seriously, gaming - and the friends I gamed with - truly helped me through my very difficult and complicated pregnancies - I doubt I could have made it through TWICE without them), and as time allowed, with the babies. Try nursing, rolling the dice, and looking up the details of a spell or obscure rule all at the same time - talk about multi-tasking!
My friends and I still get together on most weekends, though not for the three-day marathon sessions of our youth. My oldest daughter has expressed interest in gaming herself, and we've run a couple of mini-campaigns for her and her friends with their input just to keep things interesting. Have you ever heard of carniverous gummy bears? How about ninja monkey-dragons? My youngest just likes to roll the dice and play with the miniatures - though her Dora the Explorer dolls and Little People have more interesting lives than you can imagine.
If you were a gamer, or still are, would you or do you encourage your children in the pursuit of these hobbies?
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