Clearly I’m not going to be decorating cakes for a living anytime soon. But Maia asked for a monster cake and mama-with-a-sweet-tooth obliged.
I suppose I should say why Maia asked for a monster cake. Harry brought home Charlie and Lola from the DVD store the other day. It’s a British TV series for kids that we all enjoy. We don’t watch TV per se (no reception for one thing, and intolerance on my part for another), but do watch a few DVDs. Maia’s favorites right now, besides Charlie and Lola, are Harold and the Purple Crayon and Here Come the 123s by They Might be Giants.
In one of the Charlie and Lola episodes, Charlie, the older brother, has a monster birthday party with a green monster cake. And Maia really wanted that cake. Frankly I think she would have wanted the cake whether it was a monster cake, a ladybug cake, or a moon rock cake. But it was a monster cake, so we made a monster cake.
By the way, I’m wondering where other people stand on the screen time issue. I grew up without a TV at all so it was just never part of our life when we were kids. I think that’s part of the reason for my TV intolerance. I just never got used to it (although I did watch a couple of shows in college with my friends). But at the same time I grew up without any of the cultural references that my peer group had, which is usually fine but sometimes kind of awkward and sad.
Anyway, we’ve decided to let Maia watch some DVDs in moderation. No TV yet, but maybe when she’s older we’ll allow some TV, too. Not sure.
What does your family do?
Sara said
We try to limit it as much as possible. I guess the hard part is flitering through the garbage that is on. I fairly happy with PBS. No commercials and I’m comfortable with the children’s programing.
I have three kids with the youngest one still taking two naps during the day. The TV is somewhat a lifesaver while he is napping. The olders ones are generally quiet with some shows on. I give myself alot of guilt about the TV thing. I’m not sure how much is too much? My kids probably watch a little too much right now because it’s very hot and humid where we live. We keep indoors in the afternoon. I guess I try to balance everything out as much as I can during the day.
I’m very interested in what everyone else has to say.
Thanks for bringing it up Jean.
jo said
looks like a yummy cake!
I let babyebi watch the NHK (educational) TV shows in the morning, mainly for the language and the cultural side, I noticed that he couldn’t join in with kids at the park because he had no idea who the characters were that they talked about. As part of my major at uni I did a project/paper on producing an educational kids TV show and had to do a lot of research into it and so I was reluctant to let him watch any TV. The only other thing we watch really is animal planet, we watch it together and talk about what is happening. He loves the animal hospital show and is often ‘taking his toys to the vet’ ;o)
I am very anti any shows with any kind of violence, what may seem to be a harmless kids cartoon can be taken very differently by a 3 or 4 year old child.
cygnetsmall said
Oh, the TV issue. I don’t have it on at all during the day (though I must admit I have the computer on more than I should) but my husband likes to watch it at night (and I often join him then) and on the weekends. I sort of feel like there are much better uses of time, like the activities you describe here. Everyone has different ways of winding down though, so I try not to get too uptight if the TV is on a lot during the weekends.
We don’t let the kids watch much — a bit of pre-recorded Thomas to sate by daughter’s train obsession but I am sure they get some of it in the background (news, sports, etc.) in the evenings and on weekends. I really don’t like them seeing violence either, so if there are commercials with violence (ESPN is terrible about this – video game commercials! Video games are a whole other issue too.) we turn it off or change the channel.
As they get older I may feel more flexible — there are some amazing wildlife programs and such that I believe would be good an educational. As long as they keep their interest in reading!
evenspor said
We don’t have tv right now (no cable and reception isn’t good where we are), but I do let Beeper watch DVD’s. At least with DVD’s I have some control over what he sees. He probably watches more than he should.
Mozi Esme's Mommy said
That third eye takes the cake!
I grew up without TV and Esme is also growing up without one. We do watch DVDs (she doesn’t have the attention span for anything longer than 15 minutes) and music video clips we’ve downloaded from YouTube etc. If I’m overstressed, I’ll select a bunch and set her in front of the computer for a short while. Signing Time is our latest favorite, and she is picking up lots of hand motions etc from the videos.
I’m not stressing about it. Her Daddy and I don’t watch that much, and I expect her to fit into our lifestyle eventually and watch as much as we watch.
Patricia Fuentes Burns said
Good question about TV! We don’t do TV at all and just some DVDs for my 4-year-old and nothing for the 14-month-old. We try to make screen time special, and treat it like a family activity about once a week. We call it “movie night” even if it’s in the afternoon while the baby sleeps and it’s not always a movie but a couple of shows. I also try to find things in sync with current interests or activities.
There are some lovely shows and movies out there that we’ve really enjoyed together. Often we watch classics from my and my husband’s childhood. Lately we saw Walk Disney’s Peter Pan (great except a few violent pirate scenes) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We have watched Planet Earth alot, which is amazing.
I am totally against TV itself because of the ads and the fact that it just goes on and on and you can’t control what your child is seeing. I don’t watch any TV myself because it’s such a time suck and I have trouble disconnecting once I start watching.
Nadine said
Before we had kids we were a TV household – I even worked “in the biz” for awhile. But now, we have no TV and a few DVDs and that’s it. His favorite (he’s 2) is Mary Poppins. We make a family night of it and watch the whole thing. He’s been singing the songs as well, which is nice.
We have a few old school Sesame Street and Muppet Shows that we watch together and we’re slowly stocking up on classic Disney, Electric Company, Davey and Goliath and La Linea, which is an old Italian cartoon that I think is GREAT for showing kids what they can do with straight lines (very simply but genius, I think)
(for an example, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skb2gKR7rOk)
What’s funny is that our son still knows the character (Dora, Thomas, Blues Clues) that I think he gets from his school friends. It’s a nice balance though – he doesn’t feel completely disconnected, but also isn’t overwhelmed by all of the marketing.
Amanda said
It’s tough. My husband grew up with very little television while I had one in my bedroom since before I can remember, so we come from very different points of view. With three kids (5 and under, incuding a baby) I find that I absolutely rely on it sometimes (even though I had committed to myself that it would never be like that!) to keep the kids quiet and occupied when I’m tending to the baby, or just trying to get dinner started. All told, it’s perhaps an hour each day, and we completely avoid shows with commercials (PBS and Disney) and anything that’s too ‘old’ or conflicts with our values (think Spongebob).
Still, I feel a bit guilty and my husband thinks it’s too much. I feel pretty stuck!
That said, with Josie starting Kinder next month, she really won’t be watching any television (since it’s a morning thing 90% of the time and none on the weekends) so maybe it’s not so bad!
http://www.kiddio.org
Dayna said
We got rid of cable 6 months or so ago and we don’t really miss it at all. My youngest is 21 months old and has absolutely no interest in movies or tv. Our 4 year old watches DVDS now and then, mostly Disney movies or educational DVDS. My husband and I listen to NPR during the day and watch news clips online, and we have Neflix and watch a movie at night before bed.
melissa s. said
i LOVE the cake!
we very seldom watch tv, never in front of the kids. we put the tv in a remote corner in the basement so it’s not front and center in our lives. we just hope they’ll follow in our footsteps and find value in other forms of entertainment or information sources. i do let them watch (select) dvds and sesame street.
rowena said
The tv issue is a big one, but, causes guilt, but my 3 year old is such an active boy that I have come to depend upon television and movies to occupy him… this was particularly so when i was pregnant and nursing a baby. I could not keep up with him and cartoons calmed him down.
The baby however has no interest in it, the way her brother did from such a young age.
When i was little, we were only allowed Sesame Street, yet I grew up to be a tv junkie. I’ve tried to go without, it was terrible.
I have no answers to how these things work themselves out. I don’t think there are definitive answers.
skye bailey said
We also have no television at our house, with no reception at all and no desire to have cable. Our issue with the television is not even a lack of good programming for children (there are some good ones and plenty of really inappropriate ones). The problems I have with it is the advertising and the time spent in front of the television. We have a DVD player as well and allow our daughters to watch one every now and again. Angelina Ballerina and science discovery shows are a hit at the moment. I am a Montessori teacher and mama and so I make activities available both inside and outside to keep them occupied. They never had television and so don’t feel at all deprived. In fact, when my oldest child does see television, she is annoyed by the commercials interrupting her show and so seldom choices to watch it.
daisyeyes said
I’ve long come to the conclusion that it is another one of those things that can cause you much much stress and guilt if you ponder it too much. My kids watch t.v. and sometimes more than I would like…I watch t.v. more than I would like! But they are also active, play well and have great imaginations and love to read.
I think it’s all just about balance and keeping your sanity.
Jen said
We don’t have cable, and we also get poor reception. So, we don’t watch TV, but the kids do watch DVDs…maybe 1-2 hours spread out throughout the day. Sesame Street mostly, also Signing Time (sign language), and some of those storybook DVDs, like Harold and the Purple Crayon, Swimmy, Mike Mulligan, etc. I usually turn a DVD on when I’m trying to make dinner, or nurse the baby, and I need the older 2 to stay in one place.
When I’m in someone’s house who has the TV on all the time, I get very edgy and anxious. Too much input, all the time. And the commercials, sheesh.
Tracy said
We are fortunate to have a loft sitting area where we keep our TV, which is separate from our main living area. I could do without it, however, my husband wants cable access but rarely watches it. As a compromise, I insisted on a TV cabinet with doors so I would not have to look at the thing when its not in use. I grew up watching lots of TV and recall it being on almost all day. When I moved into my first apartment I realized I had it on just for ‘company’ so I got rid of it. Now I find most of what is on offensive and boring.
Fortunately, our five year old is uninterested in sitting and watching. She’s watched some shows on PBS when she’s sick (which is rare in itself). The one DVD she’ll watch over and over is Kristen’s Fairy House which is sweet and lovely. Right now she’s happy playing outside, with her imaginary friends, or doing craft projects which I hope will continue as she gets older.
megan said
my opinion is most everything in moderation is OK.
wesleyjeanne said
As you do, we watch DVDs in moderation. Sometimes, admittedly, the moderate part gets out of hand in my opinion and becomes excessive. They go through stages of wanting to watch and not caring about it. I go through stages of being busy or tired or involved in my own self and I (hangs head shamefully) encourage their watching. But usually it passes and we both get back on track and involved in other things.
One show you might want to check out, though: Peep and the Big Wide World. It’s fantastic! The characters are funny, interesting, and entertaining for the girls and they involve basic principles of science, explained in an understandable way. You cna watch one new one per day on the website (www.peepandthebigwideworld.org), plus they have science activities you can do with the kids. I recommened the DVDs, however, because after each animated video is a live-action video of kids doing simple science/outdoor activities that you can replicate yourself.
Just last week, my four-year-old could be found testing different objects in her wading pool to see which ones float and how many rocks/pebbles it takes to sink different floating things. She got this directly from her Peep video and did it without direction or even suggestion from me.
Try it.
We also like Charlie and Lola: I had to get strawberry syrup so I could make strawberry milk for her after we read a library book where Lola asks Charlie for some before bed.
You’ve inspired me: I think I’ll write a post about our TV life (or lack of cable/satellite).
Quinne said
Hi Jean
No TV for us – only DVDs or videos that we have hand selected & reviewed. We watch 30 – 45 minutes per day, if we watch at all. Every now and then we have a special movie night with popcorn, etc. Blessings! Q
mimi said
No TV except shows recorded on PVR ie Max and Ruby. We moved from baby eistein (from 1year old) to Max and Ruby and 2 others shows from french tv. She discovered M&R in France as my mum had a dvd. Strictly no TV while we are all together during the day. Daughter is now 3 and she might watch 35 mn-45mn max everyday after lunch and before nap time. I don’t watch TV except 2 nights a week while my husband is off.
Therefore we speak french@ home it was useful for my daughter to watch english language dvd so she could get used to the language. we play lots of music though, we read lots of books. TV might be an issue when kids are older… peer pressure and all that. They might feel different if their friends watch TV and they don’t. Another good topic to talk about could be computer time or video games…..
Julie Liddle (ART IN HAND) said
Like everyone has basically said, it’s all a matter of moderation and selective viewing. The vast abundance of programming out there now as compared to when we were kids is a double-edged sword…while there is admittedly a lot more junk out there to dodge, there is also a plethora of quality programming to choose from that didn’t previously exist, from the shows specifically for kids (Peep also has my vote as a top choice…my kids and I LOVED that show) to some of the more documentary type shows on nature, wildlife, distant parts of the world, and even universe. My kids have been exposed to knowledge and information on these topics that have sparked passionate interests at a young age that they might not otherwise have encountered until much later. Of course we pursue these interests further with lots of books and discussion. I guess my point is, all the research on the harmful effects of tv are referring to too much exposure to the WRONG stuff (plus all the advertising). As long as my kids are active and using their imaginations often, I don’t mind them watching some decent programming…especially now that they’re a bit older (6 and 9), sometimes I feel like they really do need some “down” time. And to be honest, (I don’t want to give a false impression), for the past year or two (my younger got the short end of the stick on this one, bcs my older remained sheltered for a lot longer) they do watch their fair share of “mainstream” shows, but I DO have limits (no cartoon network or nickelodeon), and it does help them to be able to relate to their peers. They are still way out of it movie-wise though…I can’t believe the movies their peers are allowed to see (PG-13)…way too intense and inappropriate in my opinion. We’ve only recently forayed into a few carefully selected PG’s.
wesleyjeanne said
Oh I agree with Julie’s comments, too. I do not like for my kids to watch commercials and most commercial TV because of the “gimmes” it generates for inappropriate stuff or stuff in general. (They still get exposed to it at Grandma’s house sometimes, though). We did the Dora thing and the Disney Land Before Time Series, but lately (happily) Owen has lost interest in those so I don’t have to play the heavy and deny them or limit them anymore.
Another set of videos we like comes from the library: The Big Aquarium, The Big Zoo, The Big Aircraft Carrier, etc. by Mammoth Productions. These are great documentaries that do spur interest in investigating things further through books and trips.
Mickey S said
Mine have grown well with out tv.
They both wanted it when they found out about it.
My oldest is 22 in a week. He often says he’s glad I was crazy!
My middle is 16 a few weeks ago. She regularly talks about how glad she is not to “desensitized” by media the way many of her peers are. She is Addicted to the cooking channel and goes to friends homes to watch it though! Certainly we have all benefited by that… what a baker that Gurrl is!
The one on the way , in one month, will have to suffer the same way as the others did. I don’t mind one little bit! And I am quite sure neither will he.
Be well and TV free!
PS thanks for taking the time to blog.
I like your efforts a lot!
Sheila at Dodging Raindrops said
My boys (3 and 4.5) don’t watch any TV. They have one hour a day that they are allowed to watch DVDs. They like Kipper, Real Wheels (non-fiction about vehicles), Veggie Tales, Thomas, Sesame Street, old Disney movies like Fox and Hound, animal movies like Babe, Richard Scarry, etc.
They also have some computer time in the morning which they spend watching Noggin videos from the website or watching Peep and the Big Wide World.
I don’t like TV for my boys because of the commercials.
Tracy Moore said
My are13 and 16. They were very limited when they were little, mainly PBS and a few (pardon my out dateness) videos. When they were in elementary school I was very strict about no TV before school and they could each pick 1 show after homework was completed. But as they grew older, I started to lighten up and of course at this point it’s pretty much a free for all. If I had it to do over I would ABSOLUTELY not have a tv in my home (which I didn’t before I married a confirmed TV addict). Just take a look at a “typical” prime time show on say Fox or one of the smaller stations and you will know exactly why. It is absolutley unbelievable what’s on TV these days ( is that old geezerish enough for ya?). These new dating reality shows are truly despicable. I wish I had the time back I’ve spent saying turn “that off now”
and the ensuing fight. As for missing cultural references…trust me as the mother of a high school girl, that can only be a good thing.
The Artful Parent said
What a great discussion! Thanks everyone for your comments!
Amy said
TV is a tough issue for me, too. I can’t STAND the commercials, particularly those geared toward children. And notice how much louder the commercials can be than the actual shows? Ugh. So aside from the occasional Sesame Street (which I remember really enjoying as a kid), I don’t put on any children’s programming. My dd is 2, and watches the Food Network and other cooking shows like Lidia’s Italy (I love her — she’s like a friendly aunt) with me a good bit. Sadly, we watch while we eat pretty often these days, since my husband is out of town most of the week. When he’s home, I try to avoid that altogether, but sometimes, when it’s just the two of us, I need more than toddler conversation while we’re eating.
What my daughter LOVES are movie musicals — we discovered the Sound of Music when she had a week-long stomach bug. She is in love with that movie, and sings the songs and acts them out around the house and on walks. I’ve been so delighted to watch her imagination blooming through this. It took me a while, and I was unsure about it at first, but I’m beginning to realize that movies and, to an extent, some TV programming are a cultural and artistic influence and can be beneficial and inspiring just like any other medium. I guess the point is the moderation, like most others have said. I wouldn’t want her to become overly reliant on “moving pictures” to stimulate her imagination, but I don’t think there’s a danger of that as long as she’s exposed to a variety of media.
Thanks for this discussion!
Valerie said
Ug. I agonize over the screen time issue. My kids are 7 and 9 and the 7yo particularly LOVES violent video games. (My husband introduced them, not me.) Right now they get about an hour a day of screen time (tv,computer,or xbox). I give them twenty poker chips a week (at 30 minutes each). When they want to screen, they give me a poker chip and set the timer for 30 minutes.
But I still hate it.
Jessica said
I got rid of our TV recently. We do have a computer my husband and I use to watch movies at night, but my husband uses the computer room for work during the day so it isn’t accessible at all to the kids. I’m happy with no TV and no movies. When we had a TV, I put on a DVD very seldom, yet every day my 3 year old would want to watch something. Since it’s been gone she doesn’t ask at all anymore. I’d much rather see her playing creatively than watch TV (even educational programs are nothing compared to a little imagination). I highly recommend letting it all go.
Angela said
Hi! I love your blog, and I’m bookmarking it since I have stumbled upon it again while looking up how to dye play silks!
I grew up without much TV-sometimes because we didn’t have one hooked up for years after a move and other times because I was having too much fun with my big family, siblings and friends. We didn’t have cable. My husband grew up with the TV on literally every waking moment — even while he was doing homework, eating meals, and Saturday morning. His parents were the ones watching; so I’m thankful he decided to go outside and play anyway!
I won’t fight with my husband over this, but he knows I will be happy if we ever get rid of satellite TV. I would be happyiest with the TV in a closet only to be pulled out when we wanted to see a DVD or with the TV only hooked up to the free channels and less watched. I cannot lie, there are 2 shows I love to watch, but they are not in season now, and I hadn’t thought of them until just now. 
We started out not letting the littles watch TV for the first couple years, but we were gifted “wonderful” DVDs for them and then started letting them watch “educational” shows. Baby Einstein, Lazytown, Wiggles, and Oh SWEET Charilie & Lola and anything on the Disney Channel. Before my eyes, an addiction took over. One day, I looked at my child and thought “I am losing this one to TV!” I tried everything. I thought 30 minutes a day would work out and tried to wean down to that, but it led to horrible tantrums. Then I cut the TV cold turkey and life was sweet! So I thought, surely now I can add 30 minutes a day while I’m preparing dinner. No. The addiction returned with the tantrums. After trying to teach moderation in TV we finally agreed this was one area that just didn’t work for us. And I know from experience how easy it is to get addicted to it–even with my previous intolerance for TV. I KNOW what a waste of time it is, yet I will watch it. We had a “goodbye TV” party, took down the TV & entertainment center and replaced it with a small armoire. The children danced & rejoiced over this little farewell, and we talked about all the fun things we’d do with all that time we’d now have! 
We placed the TV in a small armoire that blends into the wall and is childproof. It is now opened only after bedtime so my husband can watch TV (and me along with him for as long as we have it). The neat thing is that we watch less because it isn’t sitting there in the open calling to us. A latch must be undone and doors opened and later closed…a reminder to me each time, and I do not open it AT ALL. A year or so has gone by, and our little ones are so happy. The love to read and play and try new things. They create music and don’t imitate bad attitudes from TV characters since they aren’t watching them. We have taken them to movie events twice during this time and they have seen TV a few times in the homes of friends. Someday I imagine we’ll all watch the classics together, and I teach them the songs from favorite movies, like The Sound of Music. Someday TV might be a part of our whole family again, but if so I dread it. I know what you mean about the social references we can miss out on, but people have always found that an endearing quality in me. As a child, we spent some time in other countries, and once I returned and mistakenly asked “Who is Mel Gibson?” in a public place. I met dozens of women that day. We all laugh about that now. I don’t regret any of the fake stuff I missed out on. I knew what was going on in the real world, but I don’t believe everyone needs to go to this extreme. It is just so beautiful, and if my husband and I can kick the TV habit, then I imagine we’ll become even more creative and get to do more of the things on our “things I want to do someday” list. This is what is right for us…for the way some of us are wired. 
Amy said
I love what daisyeyes wrote. It’s a good reminder. TV is one of those things I can stress out about too much. I grew up watching lots of TV and even now it just feels right and normal to turn it on after our daughter goes to bed. These days I am more likely to watch an episode of some addicting series from Netflix (The Wire, 24, etc). But there’s no denying: it’s still TV. I come from a family of major TV addicts. While tit didn’t hurt my brain too much, I think it was not a good influence overall. The fact that I grew up taking enjoyment and stimulation while being STILL (reading & TV) does, I think, have something to do with why to this day I struggle with getting motivated to do sporty things.
We were very careful about allowing no TV for our 3 yr-old when she was younger. Then it crept in: first 5 minutes of PBS while she got her hair brushed. Then that 10 minutes increased to a whole “kid show.” Made my morning easier in some ways but harder in others. Then her grandma, who keeps her, started showing her “just 15 minutes” and before I know it she is quoting from Backyardigans, Wonderpets, Dora, and Go Diego! And yet, my MIL is 70+ years old and I simply cannot tell her “No TV, ever!” She needs the down time herself.
What I would like to do is to say 30 min twice a day max (but not a whole hour all at once) (and I’d really prefer 30 min max but I am not sure my MIL will stick to that), and from DVD only. I need to work to build up a library of good stuff available on DVD.
Amy said
“While tit didn’t hurt my brain too much…”
Well maybe it did. What a typo. I blame my sleek new keyboard!!
Amy said
I also wanted to add to the list of shows & DVDs
Super Why on PBS: very sweet & funny
Wonderpets: I just saw it for the first time via YouTube recently and I am sort of addicted to the music. My MIL assures me it is all sweetness & light.
Thomas: we have an old video I got at a yard sale, my daughter loves it. Does anyone else find some of the trash-talking the trains to to each other disturbing? My daughter is now used to hearing me pipe up from the other room “I don’t like the way that train is talking to his friends!” LOL.
Wallace and Grommit: Soem of them have slightly sinister characters but “Grand Day Out” is pretty toddler safe, if they can take a robot.
Hammy the Hamster: wonderful live action series with cute little animals
On my list to check out:
Charlie & Lola
Little Bear
Harold & the Purple Crayon (thanks Jean!)
Wish I could find:
David the Gnome (a nice series I recall from my babysitting day)
The Artful Parent said
Hey Amy! Thanks for the comments and for all the suggestions!
Trina said
THats a great cake. I love that you listen to your childrens imagainations and find a way to make it happen rather than saying..”Oh, that sounds a bit hard, how about a cookie instead”. ( I am guilty of that). I remember when I was about five or six and I really really wanted an ice cream vendor stand. I must have seen one in a picture. So my mum sat down with me and made this creation out of cardboard and it had a pink and white striped roof and I think it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
She probably thought not much of it, but its still a strong memory. I remember thinking how clever and creative she was.
The tv thing. You just have to be strong on it, no matter how tempting to flick that switch. My two year old watches one hour in the morning. I guess its gonna get harder as she gets older and more interested but I just intuitively feel that its not that great for them. Rainy days and desperate days… yeah, go crazy.!
Jen said
I’m a little late commenting on this…I’ve fallen off on my blog reading due to birthdays and vacations, but I’m getting back on track and yours was the first one I wanted to catch up on.
I grew up in a fairly typical American TV watching family, although my mom had a few rules…no TV during dinner, homework first, no TV during homework, no TVs in our bedrooms, and very strict adherence to PG-13 and R rules. (I actually remember ONCE sneaking into an R movie with my older friends before I was 17 and I got caught due to parental questioning re: “What movie did you see?”) Now, I probably watch more TV than I should…I’m addicted to “Reality” TV, but that’s another story all together.
Now as parents ourselves, TV watching has changed in our house. We stocked up on Baby Einstein videos before the little guy was born and plopped him down in front of the TV (once or twice a day) to become a baby Einstein, because that’s we thought we should do. Then we began hearing about autism and TV watching…followed by my husband recognizing that our son looked like Rainman while he was glued to the Baby Einstein video…then I read that the AAP recommends NO! (a surprise to me) TV for children under 2…and that was it. Things changed. We began to understand the value of human interaction over TV watching and the reality of it was, at that young infant age, if he wasn’t watching a video then he would be interacting with one of us. Even more recently I came home and told my husband about some videos my friend uses and her daughter knows all her shapes, colors, letters, and numbers! I was impressed! My husband wasn’t…he quickly told me, “Jen, you can teach him those things, you don’t need a video to do that.” (I’m blessed to be able to stay home with my son. And, because I was a teacher before becoming a mom, my dear sweet, husband thinks I can teach our son anything!) This time, I realized he was right. So through art (thanks to inspiration from you and some guidance from Susan Striker’s book), primarly finger painting, I’ve taught my son colors and through pointing out every day objects around us, I’ve started teaching him shapes. And now as our son is about to turn two, I don’t see us changing his TV watching habits all that much. Most of what he can “learn” from TV at this age can be taught through meaningful activities. And (at this young age) we try to stay away totally from TV as entertainment (except when I need him to sit still for finger nail clipping). I did stock up on some videos for a recent 2 hour plane ride alone with my son, but because we don’t really let him watch TV, he wasn’t very interested…very frustrating to discover on the plane ride!
TV is not usually on during the day…until my husband comes home and then it’s world news or politcs. Which is not altogther great viewing for a toddler! We have remote control battles when he tries to watch World News Tonight during dinner…hmph! We also watch quite a few sports on the weekends. And so, instead of children’s show characters, my son knows the word “news” knows “Michael Pels” (Phelps), (I’m addicted to the Olympics.), can identify every sport from football to tennisball (he thinks every sport ends with ball), and runs to the TV when he hears the music in the “water” commericial. Quite scary that he knows the things he does from TV just being on in the house…and the very reason that we limit the time that TV is on in our house and are careful about what is on.