A word about...TV for toddlers

[Guest guest]

There are lots of ways to " watch " TV. One way is to have the television on all

the time in the house, even when nobody is watching it. Another way is sit in

front of it mindlessly, for hours. A third way is to actually select what you

want to watch -- or what you want your child to watch -- and then turn off the

television when it is over. Assuming the parent has good judgment, the

experience will probably not do any harm to the child, and may actually enrich

the child's view of the world in ways that other activities cannot. We are a

television family. I personally watch British programming on PBS and BBC America

and there are one or two shows that I enjoy immensely. I watch very little

network television, and I have no interest in junk. I watch NOVA, Frontline, and

American Experience. I watch practically any production where women are running

around in corsets. But when my show is over, I turn off the TV and walk away

from it. I believe that that act of actually selecting a program, watching it

(often with my son), and then pressing the OFF button is creating a good pattern

for my son. As I said in an earlier post, my husband's viewing habits are very

different from mine, and I simply do not have complete control of when and how

much my son watches (I've pretty much retained control over what, but even that

can be a struggle sometimes). In families where the parents have different

attitudes or priorities, televison can be an extremely hot topic and major

control issue, and I think that is something for those who don't have that kind

of dynamic in their households to keep in mind. Television, computers, and

other electronic media are never going to go away -- they are going to become

more prevalent in the world, and helping children make smart choices is the best

thing parents can do, I think.

 

I really believe that there is no right or wrong answer here -- that people have

to do what they feel is right for their children and themselves. In my

household, three 30 minute PBS Kids shows a day is not a problem. My son goes

to preschool, plays soccer, goes to storytime at the library, has playdates with

friends, spends countless quiet hours with his Legos or blocks, plays with his

dogs and cats, and some carefully monitored noncommercial television. He's kind,

well-mannered, smart as a whip, and happy. And I'm really not worried about the

TV.

 

Terry

-

Vicki

Thursday, September 11, 2003 10:24 AM

Re: Re: A word about...TV for toddlers Children of all

ages are constantly learning new things. The first 2 years of life are

especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During

this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and

adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This

is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others

is so important. Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very

young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend

television for children age 2 or younger. For older children, the Academy

recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of educational, nonviolent

programs.

 

 

<<Actually, three 30 minutes shows IS limited television. It just depends on

your perspective.>>

 

I don't want to get into a debate here, because it's counterproductive. But

just because you are watching less television than anyone else you know doesn't

mean that you are watching a limited amount of television.

 

If my father is addicted to alcohol and drinks 12 beers a night, and I only

drink 6 beers a night, I am not drinking a limited amount of beers, even if it

is less than the norm in my family. 6 beers a night is still pretty excessive.

 

Not that many years ago you would never have been able to find three 30 minute

shows geared toward children in a day. Perhaps the proliferation of children's

television shows makes that seem like a limited amount of time in front of the

tube, just as your family history might make it seem like a limited amount of

time in front of the tube. However, objectively, that doesn't necessarily make

it a " limited " amount.

 

Vicki

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Karen,

Just had to reply to your post.

Thanks for writing an articulate piece. That is much more toward our family's

real world.

As my son (7yrs), does go to public school(due to a specialized program for

his hearing impairment). We limit tv on school days. And use it as a learning

tool. And do watch movies together with vegan cocoa( soon to be filled with

vegan marshmellows!) on weekend winter nights.

I will keep repeating this phrase in so many contexts. We strive for balance

in our parenting, in our relationship with our food, the community and the

earth.

Peace,

Laura

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thank you Karen! You put into words what I wasn't able to in my

earler post.

 

We certainly recognize the negatives of television - even what many

would consider to be good television like PBS. The more they watch,

the more they want, which is why we limit it. They also can become

very absorbed by it. I have seen that glassy stare.

 

Stephanie

 

 

, " Karen Detling " <kdetling@c...>

wrote:

> Hi - I don't post very often, but I thought I would join in on

this one.

>

> Obviously, there are a wide range of opinions regarding television

viewing, in general, and particularly for young children. I guess

where we fall depends on what you consider the norm. As a number of

you have mentioned, to some people we would be radicals, because we

greatly limit what television our children watch - both in quantity

and quality. (I just met someone who told me, proudly, that his 6-

year-old daughter has over 100 videos-one wall of her room is

covered with them!) To others, we would be overly permissive,

because we do not ban all television. I too grew up in a home where

television was the sole source of entertainment. What surprises me

is that I was an avid reader and did very well in school, but almost

all of my reading and homework was done in front of the television.

I remember being oblivious to it when I was in the middle of a good

book. Also, our house was very, very small, so if you were inside

and the TV was on, there really was no way to escape it. To this

day my mother cannot understand people who have to always be doing

something; she prefers to spend her time watching TV.

>

> Our children are 4 and 2. Their television viewing is limited to

PBS and videos/DVDs that we have selected. During the week, the only

television they usually see is 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour of PBS in

the morning. If they are up early enough they sit on our bed and

watch while we all get ready. On a rare occasion they might get to

watch a video at night when we all get home, but that might be 1-2x

a month. On the weekends, it really depends on what we are doing.

If we are on the go alot they might see no TV. On a rainy Saturday,

however, we might hang out and watch a few videos. It's never an

all day thing.

>

> We certainly recognize the negatives of television - even what

many would consider to be good television like PBS. The more they

watch, the more they want, which is why we limit it. They also can

become very absorbed by it. I have seen that glassy stare. Once

the children are in school (1st grade), there will be no TV on

school nights at all.

>

> Like anything, however, there are positives. I think that most

televisions programs are at best worthless and some do a good deal

of harm by teaching values I do not support. There is, however,

television that is of value. For example, my daughter learned the

alphabet from us, but after she was beginning to make sense of it,

watching a Sesame Street video about the alphabet helped to

reinforce, in a fun way, what she was learning. What I like about

some of the PBS shows is that they emphasize solving problems

intellectually rather than physically (e.g. superheroes). Whenever

I tried to introduce some Spanish words to my daughter, she was

resistent, but when she watches Dora (she has one Dora video) she's

yelling " salta " and she will point out to me that Dora speaks

Spanish. Some of the other shows, such as Arthur and Clifford

reinforce values, such as sharing and honesty. I would have no

problem with a program that showed animals in the wild, because they

could not get the same sort of images from a book or the zoo (which

raises it own ethical issues as well). I took her to see Dragon

Tales Live, and she expressed surprise that the children on stage

were bigger than in the cartoon, so we talked about the

differences. If she sees a movie based on a book we talk about the

differences and how everyone's imagination allows them to see the

same thing differntly.

>

> The next two things might bring some criticism, but here goes. TV

also provides us with some family time together. For example,

tonight we are going to watch a video and have popcorn. My daughter

considers this a party and is very, very excited. We do many, many

things together as a family, so it is not the case that our only

interaction is sitting around the TV together. Right now the

children are a bit young for games (although they have been

introduced), but as they get older we will also have game nights and

other such activities. To be honest, I look forward to the day my

kids are old enough to sit back and watch Casablanca with me on a

snowy winter afternoon.

>

> My other thought is that not everything a child does has to be

highly educational. I realize that this is a crucial time in a

child's life and that she is very open to learning, but I also think

that, just like adults, kids sometimes just need to " veg. " TV is

not the only way to do it, but I don't think that allowing my

daughter to watch an Angelina Ballerina, Winnie the Pooh or Bob the

Builder video now and then while she relaxes on the couch is going

to do any harm. During the day at school she is constantly

presented with learning opportunities - puzzles, nature walks,

Spanish, role playing, reading, art, etc. At home, we read

together, they help in the kitchen, we talk alot about what we see,

thoughts, feelings, etc. For example, my husband had is Go set out

today and just that allowed the children to talk about color,

sorting, placement on the board, texture, sound, etc. I certainly

need down time, and I think kids do too.

>

> So, those are my thoughts on the subject. I've really enjoyed

hearing the different opinions and seeing what works for different

families.

>

> Karen (mom to Rebecca and Jamie)

>

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