Ooooh, how I love a little bit of controversy! I had no idea there were such strong feelings on this topic until I read my last post's comments. So I was kind of joking about the "I hope she recovers" bit, but I wasn't kidding when I said that too much TV at an early age leads to ADD/ADHD. Studies do say that because on the screen things are generally shown to be more fast-paced and more dynamic than real life, little children begin to expect their reality to be what they've seen on the screen. So when it comes time to sit still in a school setting and their teacher isn't zipping all over the classroom with color/environmental changes every nanosecond, the child is "bored."
I read those studies before I became a mother, and D and I decided it would be better for our kids if we could avoid TV exposure under the age of two (this was the age the studies cited as kind of the cut-off age for the results mentioned above, although I suspect attention problems could develop at any age if there was too much TV exposure). Then I had my firstborn. I noticed in her first few months how fascinated she was with the screen. I also noticed that she would not self-entertain. She didn't want to sit there and play with toys by herself, no matter how interesting the toy was or how often I switched toys. As a result, I spent most of my days doing everything with her. Sure, I could've given in and used the screen as a babysitter, and it would have left me free to do other things with my time, but guess what? She has learned to self-entertain! She has an active imagination and now she isn't very interested in the screen (although we're not totally in the clear as you may have noticed from her fixated gaze in the last post). What she needed was to experience REAL LIFE, so I gave her that gift despite the sacrifice of my own personal time. My second baby isn't nearly as interested in the screen as his sister was. I don't know that he needs the same "no TV before age two" rule, but I figure that it can't hurt to have him experience real life also, so that's what we do.
We don't have a TV in our house and I love it! D and I occasionally watch movies on the computer, but I've found that life is better when more of it's real. I don't know that things will always be this way--I've been very fortunate to have healthy pregnancies and births so I haven't yet needed to use the TV as a babysitter--but since we're currently able to live without a TV, we do.
A little P.S. (even though this isn't "script"):
"Where's the research?" This is what I say when I hear people claim, "Studies say..." When I first published this post, I didn't feel like finding an article to link to this, but I found this one today by googling "TV ADHD."
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8 comments:
I grew up in an almost no TV house and turned out just fine:) I'd say I'm a better reader for it but I STINK at all pop culture games. For my own children I do a bit more TV than I was allowed but agree with prior posters that supervision and limits are key. It's a tool in my mind that I am in control of. On the other hand DH grew up in a 24/7 TV house and he turned out pretty good too so I don't think you'll "wreck" the kids by letting them watch but if you're up to it why not give them every advantage possible.
Ditto to Tess. I agree that TV is a tool to be used for good or otherwise, and the choice is to each his own. So far so good at our place... I must admit I'm grateful for our TV, mostly our DVD player... and PBS & Nick Jr... and especially the Library... and our quietime each day. :)
I LOVE Baby Signing Time and Signing Time by Rachel Coleman! I know that without those shows/dvd's I would never make the time to teach my kids that, but I really love that show because I can learn right along with them. I think that sign language bridges the gap between English and Spanish for our wee ones and also helps speed up their communication skills and I would highly recommend their tv shows and dvds.
I also like this one dvd by Leapfrog about the Alphabet. Sydney (2) has absolutely no interest in Disney movies. She only likes dvd's if they are learning related. I also really like Sesame Street. To hear Sydney imitate "The Count" laughing is so hilarious. We also have lots of Baby Einstein videos at our house and I always play them in Spanish.
I also think that my kids experience quite a bit of 'real life' even though they watch a lot of videos (however I have started to try and turn it off more often and turn on the classical music) and I think that Sydney (can't tell with Talmage yet) has a very active imagination. For example, Sydney is currently on strike from taking naps but will happily play in her room chatting it up with her dolls and animals for 2 hours at a time.
I feel like I have been in survival mode for much of the past two years...partially due to life circumstances and partially due to my own choices, but maybe I would be a little more selective if I didn't feel like my life were so crazy...so ya, maybe I should stop rambling on your blog and go take a nap!
I think that to each their own. Who are any of us to say what is best (that sounds snippy but I don't mean it to be such.) All that we can decide is what is best for our own families and our own situations. Everyone is so widely different and so are our manners to do all things.
As with all things in life, moderation is the key. There are so many vices in the world today and as parents we have to really watch out to make sure that our children are not just protected from them but taught how to confront and avoid them.
Parenting is a tough job. It gets tougher as they grow up. I am faced with challenges that I didn't expect... and my kids are only 6, 4 and. My philosophy is that the only way that we can stand blameless at the end is to do the very best that we know how to do given the tools, knowledge and situations that we have.
I think it is great you don't do TV. We didn't have a TV until I was 5 and then it was an old black and white one. I think this is a contentious issue because many moms feel guilty about TV. I let my kids watch it, but I am not proud of those moments. I have also yet to find a way to get Mike to support the no TV at all. However, he doesn't protest when I decide to pack up the TV. I've done that a few times, but at most it lasts a month. Katy watched TV before she was 2 and I really regret it. She is a happier child when she watches very little or no TV. Abigail rarely gets to watch anything except the computer screen saver of family pictures. (The computer is right by our table, so she sees it when she eats). I bet you could start some really interesting conversations by picking other topics that produce guilt in moms--mothers' employment, healthy foods, proper bedtimes, cloth diapers, free formula samples, co-sleeping etc. Do you read the Mothering magazine?
You know Michell, those topics do cause many moms to feel guilty but don't you think we all ought to be helping each other feel empowered and confident in our parenting abilities and skills.
How dare person purposefully cause another to feel inferior. Don't forget that everyone has their struggles in life and families with working moms and the like often do what they have to do to keep their families afloat (not providing vacation monies) much to their own disliking and let me also tell you, there is plenty of guilt where that is concerned without someone else adding to it.
Be grateful for the blessings you have and don't judge others for having to scrape by. I am grateful that my parents encouraged me to get an education that could help me get a good job if I ever should have need of one and I am thankful that I could provide food, clothing, and shelter for my child after my husband's job was eliminated and while he had to switch career fields. Yes, there is a lot of guilt but there is also a lot of gratitude for the Lord's hand in helping families through tough times and preparing us for what we may not see ahead.
I apologize if my comment to discuss other topics seemed judgmental. I mentioned those topics as controversial ones because (other than co-sleeeping) they are issues of which I am nearly always debating internally. I see benefits on both sides of the issue. I wasn't trying to make anyone feel bad. Next time I better bite my comment.
Ever since reading this, I have been more conscientious of tv viewing in our home and have replaced some of our educational video watching with listening to music...I like it!
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