Nikitka lived in a big, loving family with his mom, dad, and his younger sister. The boy was in second grade at school, and his sister Dasha went to kindergarten. Nikita had many friends, and often, after coming home from school, he would toss his backpack aside and run off to play with them. The boys played soccer, went fishing, and were very active and cheerful. Then one fine day, Nikita's dad brought home a large package, but said he would open it only when all the family members were home.
Evening came, and Nikitka looked at his father with bated breath and said:
Dad, you didn't forget about that package you brought home this afternoon, did you?
No, of course not. I'll show you what I bought right now.
Dad replied with a smile and disappeared into the room.
A few minutes later, Dad called out:
All ready! Everyone can come in now.
Nikitka and his sister raced each other to see what interesting thing Dad had bought them. And there, not believing their eyes, the children saw a new, beautiful, modern computer they had been dreaming about for a very long time.
Well, here's our new friend. Now you can watch cartoons, play computer games, and learn lots of new and interesting things using the internet. But let's discuss the rules right away, kids. You can only sit at the computer for a short time, no more than an hour a day, or I'll return it to the store.
Father said.
The children were thrilled with such a purchase.
Nikitka rushed to the phone and started calling his friends to share his joy with them:
Hello, Tony! My dad bought me a computer! Come over to my place, we'll play together.
That's how the boy called all his friends to show off his new friend.
A week passed. Every day, Nikita would come home from school and, as usual, toss his backpack aside, but he no longer ran out to play soccer with his friends. Without washing his hands, without taking off his coat, and without eating lunch, he would rush to the computer to quickly start playing his favorite game or watch another cartoon. Nikita's dad worked a lot, so he came home late and couldn't always see how his son spent time after school. Mom constantly told the boy that he couldn't spend so much time at the computer, but her words were in vain.
Nikita, stop playing on your computer! Go eat your lunch, then sit down to do your homework.
Mom told her son.
Mom, I'll just play a little bit more, and then I'll do my homework.
The boy answered, sitting at the computer longer and longer each time.
Nikitka's friends continued to play soccer in the yard, ride their bikes, and go fishing, but the boy wasn't interested in anything except his new friend—the computer. Nikita's grades got worse, and his classmates stopped being friends with him altogether.
Then one day, when Nikita came home from school as usual and sat down at the computer, he suddenly felt that his eyes hurt very much. Moreover, for some reason, his vision had gotten worse.
What's happening to me?
Nikita wondered.
Could what Mom and Dad said be true? Can a computer really damage your eyesight?
The boy reasoned with bewilderment.
The weather outside was wonderful, and Nikita suddenly remembered his friends, with whom he used to have so much fun. So the boy decided to take a break and go outside to hang out with his friends.
Stepping outside, Nikita called out:
Hey, guys! How about we go for a bike ride? Or maybe play some soccer together?
But the kids, looking at the boy, pretended not to hear him and continued playing in their group, without Nikita.
Tony, Paul, can't you hear me?
Nikita asked.
Oh, we hear you all right! But we don't want to play with you anymore. You have a new friend—your computer. Go hang out with that. We'll go fishing, ride bikes, and play soccer without you.
Nikita, upset, went home, thinking to himself:
Well, I don't need them to play with me. I'll manage somehow without them. I'll just sit down at my beloved computer now and play, and I don't need anyone else.
The boy sat down at the computer desk and started battling tanks again.
Suddenly, little Dasha ran in and exclaimed:
Nikitka, look at the beautiful dress Mom made for me! It's so bright that now everyone will see me from far away, and everyone will be jealous!
Oh, Dasha, where is it bright? It's completely dull and plain.
The boy replied.
What do you mean? Can't you see? It's yellow, like the sun, and I look like a flower in it!
Wow, sis, you're something else! It's completely unremarkable, kind of pale and not bright at all.
And suddenly Nikita looked at the aquarium that had been in his and his sister's room for a long time. Before, the fish in it were bright—yellow and red—but now the boy's vision had become cloudy, and he couldn't tell which fish was which.
He rushed to his mom and said:
Mom, Mom, our fish look kind of pale. What happened to them?
Nothing happened to the fish, sweetheart. It's just that you've been sitting at the computer for so long that your eyes are very tired, and your vision has gotten worse.
Mom answered.
Then Nikitka decided that he would never sit at the computer for long periods again. He became scared that he would no longer see the green, beautiful grass, the bright yellow sun, and the blue sky. He ran outside and went to his friends.
Forgive me, guys. I'll never trade you for a computer again. It ruins kids' eyesight, and because of it, I almost lost my best friends.
The guys forgave Nikitka, and everything was fine again. The boy only occasionally sat at the computer to look up something he needed for school or to play a game for a short time. His schoolwork improved, his friends started coming by again to play soccer or go fishing together. And the fish in the aquarium became bright and beautiful again.
