Welcome to Mommy Mondays, my designated day to explore all issues great and small. As long as they pertain to motherhood.
We have friends on all ends of the Kids & Television spectrum, from not even owning a box to being quite liberal with what they let their kids digest from the tube. Even before I had a baby, I was aware that television time can be a hot button issue with some parents. Even though Pigtail is only sixteen months old, I can already tell that she is paying attention to the words and images that comes out of our multiple tvs.
Here is where we stand on the issue currently: As I explained regarding the tv in the bedroom, my husband and I are both big fans of television. News, sports, scripted and reality, we have a tv on more hours of the day than we don't. More importantly, television pays our mortgage. We both feel strongly that it was never an option to "go dark" in our house.
Right now, we watch a lot of Nick Jr. Pigtail lights up at the sight of Wonder Pets and Sesame Street. Once I noticed that she was watching the screen intently, I have turned down my Real Housewives addiction when she's in the room, but we do not censor the news or even graphic animal programs.
As Pigtail gets older, I'm curious how this will change and evolve. Will I be more hyper about it? Glee is one of my favorite shows, but it sure makes me cringe to think about my daughter watching it. I loved the discussion last year on Megan's blog about letting your children watch Disney movies. While network television and children's movies are two totally separate things, I tend to believe moderation is a key to parenting. I watched a lot of Disney and a lot of network television as a child and I don't remember asking my parents questions about what I saw, nor do I recall being confused by it. Do I trust my daughter to navigate those influences all by herself? Not entirely, no. But I also want to give her as much credit as I gave myself.
I'm still in the early days of the television issue, and I'm completely open to changing my mind over time. So you tell me: Where do you fall in the Kids & Television debate?
I know that people can feel very strongly about parenting opinions. As always, let's keep all discussion respectful.
photo by .reid
