Video Games For Moms

Before I had my daughter, I played a lot of World of Warcraft. I played mostly with my husband, but I was really into playing a lot--my gaming actually peaked during my pregnancy, but then it got too hard to sit for hours raiding Karazhan or waiting for a group to form for some random instance.

I was certain I'd be able to resume playing as soon as I had my daughter, but I was wrong!

When your baby is first born, you have more time than you think you have - you might be using your time to relax by:

1. sleeping
2. watching tv
3. playing video games
4. surfing the net
5. exercising

Now, if your choice of relaxing is to play videogames, the MMORPG is perfect. Here's how to really maximize your playing time so you can get optimum relaxing and veg time.

>Create a HOT character. Pick a character that is the extreme hottness you secretly want to be. As a mom, you have many days of not feeling hot at all and this will help that you play a cute character in game.

>Find Other Moms to Play with - Cafe Mom has a group dedicated to moms who play World of Warcraft. Group up with them in place of a mommy and me group.

>Get Involved with the game community. Post on game forums, join a guild, make friends in game. Even though they will provide you with people to level up with, they will also prevent you from feeling so isolated those first months as a mom.

>Get Your Spouse to Play with you! He will be surprised to find you playing online video games, but it might be the activity you two can enjoy together in spite of being stressed out and overtired from having a new baby.

Some things to remember when you play games like this:

1. They are habit forming.
2. They chew up a lot of time if you let them.
3. Don't ignore your baby crying even if you are in an instance with friends and just pulled the boss.
4. Don't treat the game like a job. Just go in to have fun. After playing awhile, you will understand why I mention this point. You start feeling like you have some duty to the other players who might be waiting for you to play...don't.
   

I want to know how other moms manage their WoW or other game playing time with raising their children. Whether you are a new mom or have been a mom for several years, playing games is a great way to stop your brain from running through your constantly growing to-do list. Take some time today and you will finally have a place to spend your "down time.