I'm not one of those moms.
In fact, I spearhead the console-buying and game selection at our household. I can't even blame the kids for being so into video gaming. Video games give them the variety that their short attention spans require. When they grow tired of playing with a certain game, they can just change the disc or cartridge and it's a brand new experience. Of course I understand that there's a danger that they won't develop patience as a result, but I remedy that by letting them choose a game and telling them to finish it to the best of their abilities before they change. Or I limit the number of games they can change between.
I will make an example of the game Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Nintendo Wii. Cooking Mama is my 4-year old daughter Keirra's favorite game. It takes the whole "luto-lutuan" concept to the next level. Since the Wii's controller is blue-tooth driven, Kei can simulate cooking actions and see them get executed onscreen. Like to chop vegetables, she makes chopping motions with the controller. To roll the dough, she holds it like a rolling pin and pushes it back and forth in a rolling motion. The game lets her do everything you can do in the kitchen -- fry fish, grind meat, beat eggs... and even arrange all the food on the plate before serving! 
I myself am playing a game called Trauma Center: Second Opinion on the Nintendo Wii, wherein I play a surgeon who operates on patients to save lives. You use your controller like a scalpel to cut patients open, use it like a pair of forceps to remove tumors or glass shards... the possibilities are endless.
These games could very well inspire the next great chef, surgeon, pilot, etc. Who knows? The point is, not all video games are comprised of blood and violence. In fact, they open whole new worlds we could only dream of exploring. I'm not saying that we should drop all other activities in favor of video games, because video games can't provide human interaction skills and complete multi-sensory experiences that the real world can give. I'm just hoping I can shed light on some stereotypes a lot of parents seem to have.Both Cooking Mama and Trauma Center are available for the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii.
In the coming days, I will be featuring more and more games that both kids and parents can appreciate. :)
