So... I know TV can be a sensitive subject. I'm not trying to start a debate here, just want to let you all in on the journey of me and the teevee.
Our television is huge and was a gift and I quite enjoy it, especially when watching a new release. So please don't think I am ungrateful when I say that I have a love-hate relationship with it. It wouldn't matter what kind of set we had, the feelings would be the same.
About 2 years ago, I first discovered the life-saver that a little TV show can be to a young mother's life. I was about to have crazy #2 and my 17 month old crazy #1 was driving me crazy because I couldn't hardly take a shower without the house turning crazy. But somehow in the next year and a half one or two shows turned into hours. Things always got better during the summer, but in the winter I continually fell into a mindless kid-show slump.
Changes come slow to me, so don't judge... Because I knew what was happening wasn't good. That doesn't mean that I knew what to do about it though or was even strong enough to do anything about it at all. There were short stints when I had the television vacuum under my power, but it always caught me at weak moments and sucked me back in.
It came to the point that I just wanted to throw the thing out the window. It had become a symbol of my weaknesses as a mother - and who wants to stare at those every day? I had two crazies who had an endless appetite for entertainment of the television sort, two crazies who knew how to put a movie on themselves, a giant black-hole sucking them in (almost literally) and no skills to stop them. Finally, we reached the end of our satellite contract and moved back east with family for the summer (who had cable), but it was summer and we were busy most of the time and had fun.
Then we moved here, to Alaska. We experienced a two week period television free, as we gradually moved our things from a storage unit to the house. It was wonderful. We played together and read together and napped together and "where's da movies?" only came up once in a while. But it was also really tiring, so when the TV moved in with us, what do ya know? I took advantage of it. So then I not only resented myself for over-using the thing, but I had a vision of life without it. I really began thinking about my choices and feelings about the dang TV.
Today, finally...finally I feel I've made peace with the giant machine in my living room. I've learned how to "un-plug" and find some balance. I've learned how to relate to my children more and how to love the time I spend with them.
As I'm typing this, my 3 year old is watching a little Dinosaur Train and to me, that's ok. It's ok because he's tired and so am I, because we played hard together this morning. It's ok because he hasn't watched anything since his "wake-up show" and won't watch anything else when it's over. It's ok because I have a plan, I know what to do and I want to do it with him.
So, for now the ol' boob toob can stay. Because I can do this.
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8 comments:
I think this is one of the bigger challenges for me as well. I love the tv when I need to get something done without being interrupted, but I hate it when I realize that Henry and Nora watched 4 hours in one sitting!
Right now I'm trying to just limit it. I wish us both luck!
That was supposed to be from me, not Jeff:)
I'm right there with you, I think every mom is whether they will admit it or not! Theo happens to be seeing Dino train now too!
I am right there with you too. During the summer, it is not a problem, but in the long, cold winter months, it is so easy to turn to the TV for help with the kids. Finding a balance is tricky, but it seems you have done it! We ended up not having cable or any tv, we only have dvd's, but it can stillb be hard.
We love dinosaur train! And TV. We've already started down a bad path since Brady always has the TV on for background noise. Now everytime we enter the front room, Olivia immediately wants to turn on the tv just to have it on. She doesn't even watch. We'll be needing an intervention very soon.
Megs, I can so relate! It's hard to resist the TV when you need a minute to get something done. Or an hour ... LOL. But I too have a love/hate relationship with mine. I love it when the kiddos are in bed some nights and Ramon is working late and I can curl up under a blanket relax in front of it. I hate it when my kids start watching when they wake up in the morning and before I know it the entire morning goes by with it still on. I think we are all in the same boat there. But you are an incredible Mom who spend quality time with your kids so a little TV a couple times a day is not the worst thing in the world. Enjoy it. :)
Good for you! I think it is a hard thing. I am currently in the, "Holy Crap I'm Way Too Overburdened To Worry About It" mode, but I do want to make rules regarding it in the near future. Oddly enough, Jonathan doesn't even ask for a movie too much anymore--it's like we overdid it when Aaron was a newborn :)
I have a love/hate relationship with the TV, too. When Jack asks a million times a day to do something media-related (TV, computer, Wii), and insists that he's bored without it, I wonder, what did kids do in the winter before the days of TV? I know that sounds corny, but, seriously. How did women hundreds of years ago get things done without having the TV to distract their kids? This is a question I ask myself all the time, and I don't know if I have a good answer!
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