We all know that children learn best from parents and teachers, so why do we have the TV on so much? I feel that we as moms need some "time" of our own during the day and sometimes I feel that TV is the only solution. How much TV is too much, when is it appropriate and what should our children be watching?
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Here is a quote from the web...
We've all been told we watch too much telly, but one scientist says it could be very bad for your health.
Dr Aric Sigman looked lots of studies into how TV affects kids, and he says it could cause big problems, including autism, bad eyesight and obesity.
He thinks the amount of telly you watch should be limited, with kids under 12 only being allowed to watch one hour of TV a day at the very most.
Other medical experts say they're not convinced TV is so dangerous.
So personally , I think we all know it's not that healthy, but we turn it on anyway. So maybe this is a sensetive subject because we might not feel like we are being the best moms when we have our tv on.
One thing I started was during nap times when we do have the tv on we have been watching learning videos. Like "Signing Time", Leap Frog videos, phonics, math videos...so now I don't feel too guilty!
I'm not good about the TV thing because my kids seems to behave better when they have tv as a distraction. Bridget learned to count, recognize #'s, learned her alphabet and a lot words in spanish from watching Dora. I know I shouldn't admit that, but really I was so surprised when she knew these things because I knew I didn't teach her and everytime I asked her how she knew this or that her answer was always "Dora".
oops, the above comment is actually me.
As long as they're aren't watching Ultimate Fighting Championship, I'm cool.
Just kidding.
Here's what I think about TV:
-limit it. One hour a day works well for our family
-if there's time in the morning, after Ruby does her morning chores, she gets to watch 1/2 of Sesame Street, because then we're out the door
-I let them watch a Leap Frog video while I make dinner and I love it because they aren't in the kitchen around hot dangerous stuff. (my friend's daughter just practically burnt her face off because she was up on a chair near the stove "helping" make dinner and start to fall of the chair and grabbed the pot of boiling sauce on the way down, so now I'm extra careful of my kids being the kitchen.)
-I use that hour of TV as a reward and it works
-as for the health risks, I'm suspicious. I think a large amount of TV watching leads to a sedartary lifestyle and especially if kids get in the habit of eating in front of the TV, that's double bad but as far as autism...hm...I don't know.
-Sometimes I need a break. 20 minutes of the kids watching a good mannered, educational show where then I get to relax and rejuvinate, I have no problem with because I feel like that 20 minutes of alone time helps make me more of a cheerful mother. And when Mama's happy, everyone's happy.
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