Nintendo

Just like our iPod, our Nintendo DS handheld gaming console is proving indispensable. Sometimes when we're travelling with Sarah ... well, usually all the time ... I dream of being able to just inject her with something, knock her out, put her into a big bag, and tote her along with the rest of the luggage. She'd stay still and not kick the seats or climb every climbable object. She wouldn't have to go potty at the worst imaginable times. She wouldn't pester us with superhero trivia or ask us to perform every conceivable task for her, from opening a packet of marmalade to tying her shoes for the 12th time that day.

But barring the induction of a coma, the Nintendo comes a close second. Open the case, and our daughter becomes a zombie. Catatonia is immediate.

However, I am impressed at how quickly Sarah learns, and how much effort she puts into her progress. Her favourite game is Super Mario Brothers, and I am coming to greatly admire the game's designers. There's a lot of psychology behind a fun game. You have to carefully place rewards so that they're not too frequent or too seldom. I also look at the level design, how new tools are introduced, and the challenges gently increase in difficulty, first demonstrating the use of the new tool, then forcing your increasingly able use of it.

Granted, this may not make her a better student, but I'm sure it is helping her brain development, and certainly her eye-hand coordination. I'm also considering getting the newer Brain Age game that involves fun exercises in mathematics, logic, and other pursuits.

The Nintendo also gives us lots of leverage over Sarah's behaviour. It's a great reward, and we've only had to take it away once so far.

Who would think you could get so much use from a lightweight little white box?