I grew up with "Sesame Street." My mother used to plop us kids, 2 brothers and my twin sister, in front of the TV so that she could cook dinner. So when it came to my own daughter I didn't think twice about turning on the boob tube to do a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher. That it, until I started reading parenting magazines. It seemed like every month there was an article outlining the dangers of too much TV. Then I started to feel guilty about popping in a Baby Einstein video every now and then. Deep down, I don't think it's a big deal. Most of the time I sit and watch with her. But, when something needs to get done and I know a video will keep her occupied, I turn on the DVD player. Do the people who write these articles even have children? Do they know how difficult it is to try and shower with a 2 year old running around? I've even used TV as blackmail. "Sweetie, let's change your diaper and then we can watch Bear in the Big Blue House." I definitely agree that too much TV is bad news, but casual viewing?
What about you?
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3 comments:
Yeah ... I never know who to believe! Just recently either Newsweek or Time put out an article explaining that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV until TWO. I think they must have nannies the whole the lot of them. I figure if you turn it on and breeze through every now and then yelling out, "Look, a DOG ... or ZOOM an airplane" then that provides enough interaction to teach them. Better yet, yell it out in Spanish and then go take your shower.
I would love it if my 2-year-old would sit down and watch a video or Sesame Street for 15-20 minutes while I cooked dinner as opposed to hanging on my leg. But he has no interest. So you can either let your kid watch TV for a few minutes or lock them in a closet - both of which they will find equally entertaining. Not like I ever do that...
the big question is of course what is, "too much". And I never counted Baby Einstein or Sesame Street as "TV time" because of the educational vs. entertainment value.
If they can learn from it (questionable with Baby Einstein but I like the theory behind it), I see nothing wrong with it. As oppossed to "veg out" watching tv time.
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