GO WESTERN!--and Central Washington!

Here's another story to share with you. Zan never forwards stories, so you know this one's got to be pretty amazing. And it is. I'm sitting here crying after reading it. Click on the title to read it. Very touching.

Along the same lines of sportsmanship, our family owns a Wii. I am very anti video games and game systems, but after playing with one at the home of our friends, we decided this wasn't just any sit and stare blankly at a screen kind of system. If the truth be told, we didn't buy the Wii, it was given to us for Christmas by Zan's parents, but knowing how opinionated I am on many fronts, my mother by marriage, asked Zan first if it would be okay.

So, new opinions have formed. I think the Wii, if used in moderation (like most things in life), teaches some really great and important lessons--things like sharing and interaction with others. It is a social game system. We bought two extra Wii-motes, so four people can play games at the same time. It has also become a great reward for the kids when all chores and homework are done.

My favorite aspect of the Wii is the sportsmanship it teaches. When the kids are playing team sports, you can't be down on the field telling them how to react and interact with the other kids on theirs and the opposing team, but when they're competing against their siblings or friends (or even you) on the Wii, you can coach them to cheer and root for each other. I've had kids come to my house who laughed at any wrong move the other kids playing have made. At the end of the game, when that child won, it was sad to see the expression on his face when no one cheered or was glad that he'd won. I asked him to try the next time to cheer for everyone and feel sad for them when they made a mistake and see the difference at the end of the game. He quickly learned that the more you cheer for others, the more they'll cheer for you. Another lesson learned from the Wii.

I think our society is way too much into the winner-loser mentality. Maybe I'm naive to think that every situation can be win-win, but I'd sure love it to be. We would sure be more united as a people if it could be. I think in the situation in the article, both teams won because they showed character. I could see paying professional atheletes all that we pay them if they really were role models as sportsmen and women. Yeah for Central Washington and their ability to see beyond the game and into the person. I guesss we can learn from them that the more we cheer for the other team, the more we win!