WE OFTEN hear of parents lamenting the lack of communication within the family, often blaming this circumstance on their children's addiction to the computer and all the supposed "evils" associated with it.
One of these is their children's obsession with online games and those in hand-held consoles like the PlayStation Portable.
Despite all the negative takes on gaming, I must say that my relationship with it is a predominantly-positive one.
Often, when I mention this to my peers, I evoke a response that hovers on the verge of disbelief.
This is understandable, as I quickly realise after a bit of probing.
The majority of these parents don't know much about gaming.
Well, for me, I made a decision six years ago to make an effort to be involved in whatever my son Joshua is interested in.
He was then just entering primary school.
In school, it was apparent that the "more dominant" pupils amassed a following. This usually resulted in the rest of the class emulating their preferences.
This is especially so when it came to their leisure pursuits - the CCA (co-curricular activities) they signed up for, the TV programmes they watched, and the games they played (Pokemon-card trading, and Super Mario and Toontown games).
Well, whatever it was, I learnt and got involved in all these and more.
And six years on, I'm still inquisitive.
Currently, I'm being "taught" - by my 12-year-old boy - how to play a computer game called MapleStory.
I am learning how $30 serialised cards bought from 7-Eleven can be converted into "A-Cash" and "loaded" into your account; how these credits are used to buy additional stuff like safety charms and other forms of equipment; and how your online character trains to attain experience points, in order to be elevated through 200 levels.
As for the Xbox, I am pleased to say that, to date, Joshua and I have cleared every stage of Halo, Halo 2 and Halo 3.
I always encourage him to play these in cooperative mode, so as to reinforce parent-child bonding.
I also search the Internet for tips and advice to share with him - tips like those that teach the most effective ways to overcome the enemies.
As a result, this partnership with my son does not stop at cyber and console gaming.
In between his school training sessions, we play tennis for two hours every Monday evening. When he wanted to learn to rollerblade, I signed up for lessons with him. As a former lifeguard and water-polo player, I taught him to swim.
As you've probably noticed, it has never been a one-way transfer of knowledge.
Recently, Joshua painstakingly guided me through a step-by-step tutorial on how to crack the proverbial Rubik's Cube - now a hot toy/game among kids.
Through gaming - I am now talking about this in a much wider context ? my relationship with my son has flourished.
And I can attribute this only to the time and energy which I deliberately put into understanding his world.
It was initially a little unnatural but I quickly learnt that if I didn't do it, the generation gap would naturally widen and he would probably find "solace" in a universe of cyber aliens.
I have since realised that the more I demonstrate a genuine interest in the things Joshua is interested in, the closer we become.
So, stop being too serious with your child. The father of today plays games!
