Question: My 13-year-old son bought the PC game Call of Duty. It is beginning to cause problems in our home, due to his wanting to play it all the time and, frankly, because I’m not comfortable with the level of violence on the game. Trying to negotiate limits on the amount of time has not resulted in satisfaction for either one of us, and now I would like to take the game away altogether. How should we handle this problem?
Answer: You write that you are uncomfortable with the level of violence and that you don’t want him to play the game at all. So that’s your starting point. When you have made that decision, there will be nothing to negotiate. The word decision, like the word incision, means to cut off from all other options. But you haven’t made that decision yet. When you have, the video game problem will be over. That’s not to say it will be easy, but I am certain it will be better than being immersed in simulated killing.