We love the Wii in our family. We long hesitated to expose our twins to mindless electronic gadgetry but gave in this past Christmas when Santa left a Wii under the tree. We’ve been in love ever since. Georgia, my sporty girl, likes to play tennis, baseball and boxing and even had a Wii Sport-themed birthday (a huge hit with 8-year-old set I must say). Sophia, my mini-me princess, enjoys Wii as well, loving to create colorful Miis to match all of her pals and an occasional game of tennis or bowling. So like many families, we rushed out to purchase a Wii Fit when it became available in May. Actually, Grandpa rushed out to purchase it for the girls for their 8th birthday — arriving at the store at 6:46 p.m. to be beat to the first 20 available only by a nimble kid who ran to the electronics’ section of Target as soon as the doors opened.

What’s not to love — fitness combined with exciting electronic motivation and sound effects. My girls discovered yoga for the first time, focusing on finding their centers of balance. They run for miles (literally) around a scenic Wii Fit Island and have developed improved rhythm in step aerobics. The games stay fresh as new challenges are “unlocked” as skills improve.

Amidst all this goodness, Sophia shocked me when she said, “I need to lose 2 pounds this week.” Horrified, I asked her why she thought that and realized the culprit was not someone she was trying to emulate on TV or a mean girl in her class, but the Wii. You see, during set up you conduct a “body test” that calculates your center of balance, BMI and a corresponding Wii Fit age. You are categorized as underweight, normal, overweight or obese and can then follow your progress and set goals with graphs and progress reports. This is all great for me, but for an 8 year old, isn’t this setting kids up for negative body images and eating disorders? Since you’re asked to enter your age before conducting the “body test” the user should be given the option to skip this step for children.

Some may say that Wii Fit was not intended for 8 year olds. But it has so much to offer kids that is good — intriguing ways to blend technology and fitness in a way that isn’t mundane or boring. And — especially in rainy Seattle — an easy way to slip in a little exercise in a fun way without getting all wet. It would be a perfect “Wii fit” for our family if it focused more on fitness and less on weight loss…at least for the kids!