I didn't destroy his imagination, yay!!

[nerdymom]

I felt really bad after finishing Parenting Inc because I have let my son watch some TV (especially during a period where he was really sick and in the hospital, and now while I'm struggling with exhaustion and m/s) and been pretty lenient about flashy toys. I've always been careful about the content, and reserve the flashy toys for certain occasions, but reading that book made me so paranoid that I ruined his ability to think creatively!

I realize, of course, that it is pretty silly for me to worry about it, considering we are pretty moderate and thoughtful about media consumption. But I could not help but worry. Blame it on the pregnancy hormones but I was really freaked out.

Tonight I was rewarded with the opportunity to watch DS set the "table" (his bed) with little dishes, then he sat down next to it, put his hands together and said a blessing, then proceeded to have a pretend meal! It was really precious, until he started throwing the plates around. lol! I was so relieved to see him playacting. It made me feel a lot better!

[bcblondie]

If it makes you feel better, my DS watches waaay too much tv and I know it.

[nerdymom]

LOL! I know it too, it is really bad of me. I have taken to unplugging the nuisance so that he cannot turn it on and watch it while I'm not paying attention. That has helped us A LOT. I'd love to just chuck the thing but my aunt gave it to us, and it IS nice to pop in a VHS and watch an old cartoon or live action Disney movie (Bedknobs and Broomsticks anyone?) that you cannot get on netflix.

[bcblondie]

We have a massive, unnecessary 50 inch TV. DH would cry if we got rid of it. lol.

Do you have some good links on why to cut back tv time? I think I need some motivation. (sorry, hope I don't hijack.)

ETA. I also just realized your son is only a month older than mine!

[nerdymom]

It's not hijacking, I don't consider it so. I hope other people will chime in with some helpful links. I read up on it in the book Parenting Inc, which I got from the library.

Here are a few links I've found:

A decent overview

"Significant developmental impact"

"How TV affects your child"

Background TV and parent-child interactions

This is a fascinating blog on a related subject, and I enjoy it. Disney Princess Recovery

And of course, the campaign for a commercial free childhood

[physmom]

I can so relate to what you feel. DD gets TV too. She didn't get a second of it before she turned one but due to me trying to finish up me Ph.D thesis we started and, well, now she gets some each day. This week she's definitely gotten too much because we're all very, very jet legged (TV has been one of the very few thinks has helped to make sure she doesn't go to bed at 3pm in the afternoon! Which leads to a 1:30 am wake up time...) and sick and DD has an ear infection. We're just trying to survive the day. However, next week now that is looks like we're all on the mend I'm pulling the plug. For us the biggest problem is just when we can't get outside then the TV gets on more.

That being said DD does a ridiculous amount of pretend play and very elaborate too. We actually incorporate some of her favorite TV characters into it but make up our own stories. At bedtime if she doesn't want to nurse to sleep I'll make up a long story for her and sometimes I'll include Dora. It's helped me have some ideas of where to start with the stories but now that we've been doing it for awhile we've started to create our own characters and don't rely on the TV ones as much.

I'm going to check out those links too.

[bcblondie]

Thanks!!

[sapphire_chan]

Observing DD and observing toddler who get no screen time, and I can't tell the difference.

[sapphire_chan]

A decent overview

* That violence is an acceptable way to solve problems.
* That sex is especially exciting when it occurs without love and, besides, there are no real negative consequences anyway.
* And that owning the latest products is a measure of success and happiness.

Right, that would be an excellent argument against having a TV turned on to any old junk all the time.

Television tends to promote passivity and a lack of creativity. Watching TV requires zero mental activity on the viewer's part. You simply sit and let the images flow by.

Maybe for older kids, but all the toddlers I know point out everything they see on the screen. Maybe it's because the toddlers I know watch shows about things that interest them and are in their proximal zone of development? (i.e. are at a level where the child has or is gaining competence)


"Significant developmental impact"Addresses concerns with too much television and inappropriate television. Not really helpful if you're trying to figure out if you'll be ruining your kid for life if you let them watch the "Uh Huh" song one more time.


"How TV affects your child"

The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.

Of course, having to hold your toddler all day long without break affects how well you interact with them too. I expect that our next child will watch less TV than DD just because they'll have an older sister to play with. OTOH, if you do find that your kid is in front of a screen more than not, it's time to look at what's making you depressed.

Background TV and parent-child interactions
Background TV is different than deliberately selected shows.

Disney Princess RecoveryThat is a fascinating blog. if anyone who allows screen time has a kid who likes princesses, this princess does some fun stuff.

campaign for a commercial free childhoodYeah, commercials are designed to be horribly hypnotic.

I'd love to see a study done on kids who only watch commercial free shows chosen together by parent and child. With the parent watching with the child and giving feedback to the child's reactions to the shows.

I wonder if the people who watch TV passively started out watching actively and then got no or negative reinforcement?

[nerdymom]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

A decent overviewRight, that would be an excellent argument against having a TV turned on to any old junk all the time.
Maybe for older kids, but all the toddlers I know point out everything they see on the screen. Maybe it's because the toddlers I know watch shows about things that interest them and are in their proximal zone of development? (i.e. are at a level where the child has or is gaining competence)


"Significant developmental impact"Addresses concerns with too much television and inappropriate television. Not really helpful if you're trying to figure out if you'll be ruining your kid for life if you let them watch the "Uh Huh" song one more time.


"How TV affects your child"
Of course, having to hold your toddler all day long without break affects how well you interact with them too. I expect that our next child will watch less TV than DD just because they'll have an older sister to play with. OTOH, if you do find that your kid is in front of a screen more than not, it's time to look at what's making you depressed.

Background TV and parent-child interactions
Background TV is different than deliberately selected shows.

Disney Princess RecoveryThat is a fascinating blog. if anyone who allows screen time has a kid who likes princesses, this princess does some fun stuff.

campaign for a commercial free childhoodYeah, commercials are designed to be horribly hypnotic.

I'd love to see a study done on kids who only watch commercial free shows chosen together by parent and child. With the parent watching with the child and giving feedback to the child's reactions to the shows.

I wonder if the people who watch TV passively started out watching actively and then got no or negative reinforcement?

Thank you for going through and reviewing each article. It was late last night and I just popped up a couple of links after I scanned them. If you want some information about children's programming, so called "educational" tv, and how it affects very young children specifically, I really recommend you try to get Parenting Inc from your local library and read that section. She had a lot of things to say, and everything has footnotes, if you wanted to look up individual studies.

[nerdymom]

I am not against all television. We enjoy certain programs, and DS is allowed to watch television on certain occasions. But for a while we were watching several hours every day and I felt that it was affecting us both.

[bcblondie]

I agree that some is fine. Especially if it saves mom's sanity! But how much would you say is crossing the line? I'm sure it depends on the family but give me a ball park.

[MountainMamaGC]

We are cutting back on TV. I am not very imaginative when it comes to playing with her. I ordered The Toddler Busy Book, because some ladies gave it a good review. I hope its comes today. I have also organized her toys a bit better so they are easier to play with. Her Mrs. Potatohead for example now lives in the closet. Its a table toy now, so all the pieces stay together, instaed of getting lost and scattered in her big toy box and never played with. I think I am going to make her a set of felt food. Another good idea is to cut felt into different shapes and let the toddler make a picture using the shapes.

[JessBB]

We are not TV free and I am totally ok with it. I personally LOVE tv and am unashamed! I am a selective consumer for myself and my children and I feel like we get some quality (and I dare say educational) entertainment. DS1 is 3.5 and he watches anywhere from zero tv to an hour and a half depending on the day and what he's watching. No commercials, it's all PBS or movies. We love watching movies together. I feel like we have a handle on the tv in our household and when he seems a little fixated we step back and take a break for a while. For the record he has an absolutely wonderful imagination.

[ellemenope]

The notion that TV can destroy imagination is absurd.

For me, personally, the only thing that seems to align with my parenting ideals regarding TV is to not introduce TV at all as an option for our home or allow the child to self-regulate. And, I am not ready to allow DD to do that. Heck, I can't even do that.

I find TV to be addictive for all ages. It just sounds so stressful to me to try to regulate TV for a young child. Personaly, I believe when parents try to regulate a child's TV consumption it is never a happy scenario. It just adds this extra daily battle to deal with.

Your son has a beautiful imagination. TV won't destroy it. But, every hour he watches it is an hour less he is using it.

[bcblondie]

Ellemenope I know that wasn't directed at me... but it helped me. Thank you.

[bella99]

My daughter attends a daycare that doesn't have a TV so if she watches, it's at home.

There are about three days a week that she definitely gets *some* TV, and it's almost always Word World on PBS or Yo Gabba Gabba (ugh). I wouldn't say there's zero mental activity as she loves to dance along to the music and always follows the instructions. She doesn't watch stations with commercials.

We also have background TV on otherwise, because we have dogs that will bark at any noise and just do.not.stop. It's usually CNN or the Toddler Tunes radio station on the TV.

She has a very active imagination.

[nerdymom]

Originally Posted by nerdymom

I realize, of course, that it is pretty silly for me to worry about it, considering we are pretty moderate and thoughtful about media consumption. But I could not help but worry. Blame it on the pregnancy hormones but I was really freaked out.

I hope that everyone caught on to the fact that I know my fears were an overreaction...just to remind you all that I did not actually fear that I had destroyed his ability to think creatively. I find that I often employ hyperbole in the construction of thread titles.

Originally Posted by ellemenope

The notion that TV can destroy imagination is absurd.

For me, personally, the only thing that seems to align with my parenting ideals regarding TV is to not introduce TV at all as an option for our home or allow the child to self-regulate. And, I am not ready to allow DD to do that. Heck, I can't even do that.

I find TV to be addictive for all ages. It just sounds so stressful to me to try to regulate TV for a young child. Personaly, I believe when parents try to regulate a child's TV consumption it is never a happy scenario. It just adds this extra daily battle to deal with.

Your son has a beautiful imagination. TV won't destroy it. But, every hour he watches it is an hour less he is using it.

Trying to regulate a specific number of hours a day or week is stressful. We already tried that. Now we are just going to ban it, aside from certain occasions, like pizza night or sickness.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by nerdymom

Thank you for going through and reviewing each article. It was late last night and I just popped up a couple of links after I scanned them. If you want some information about children's programming, so called "educational" tv, and how it affects very young children specifically, I really recommend you try to get Parenting Inc from your local library and read that section. She had a lot of things to say, and everything has footnotes, if you wanted to look up individual studies.

Yep, on the "to get" list when we get back from vacation.

Okay, it's searchable on Amazon, so I'm going to start a discussion thread over in Books.

[Holiztic]

I haven't heard of Parenting Inc (and too tired to read above review) but I love Jane Healy's work on the subject. Endangered Minds is a good one.