Wii, Wii, Wii, Wii, Wii! That’s all we’ve been hearing around our house for the past three months. My 12 year old son has been saving up for one since the fall. It reminds me of when I saved up for my first stereo at the same age.

When my son finally determined he had the right amount of money, there were none to be found in the stores. He went on a hunt on the internet. Day after day he’d check different sites that would tell him where they were getting Wii’s in stock. Finally, about two weeks ago, he found out that a lot of nearby stores were getting them in. He got my husband to leave his cozy bed at 7:30 am one Sunday morning, and out they went with my son’s friend, to stand on line for a Wii. Would they be there early enough? Yes! They were! His quest for a Wii was finally over.

Now that my son owns a Wii, he spends as much time as he can on it. Meaning, when he’s not at school, at a club, doing household chores, homework, or letting his sister, father or friend have a turn!

You might think this is a bad thing. You’re probably imagining him sitting there with a joystick, inert on the couch. But no! The Wii is a very active video game. I see him standing in front of the TV with a wireless remote, swinging it like a bat, or a golf club, or a bowling ball. In another game, he’s jumping up and down, squatting down and doing side bends. He looks like he’s doing a workout video.

The Wii seems to signify the change in gaming that finally gets our kids up and about in the middle of the winter in a fun creative way.

What’s more, there are many games intended for play with more than one person. So instead of your kid sitting there in front of the TV alone. S/he can get up and play and move around in the company of a friend.

Admittedly, when the springtime rolls around, I’ll be hoping the furor over the Wii dies down enough that my kids will run around outside a bit too!