[SundayCrepes]

My childhood was overshadowed by non-stop TV. It would be very easy for me to deny my kids all TV. However, that could backfire and they could become total vidiots. So I am trying to be smart about this. We want to teach our kids self-control over their TV watching experience.

We randomly watch dvds as a family, though we tend to choose documentaries. Our son does not know about TV channels. (He's not quite 3.5 years.) He is allowed to watch some dvds that we own. Again, mainly documentaries (such as Microcosmos, tons of footage of bugs.) He really likes the dances from Mama Mia. He got so addicted to it that I put it away. He is allowed to watch you tube and we use that as an educational tool. He self limits how much of that he watches.

We have some Blue's Clues VHS tapes that he loves to watch. Excessively. We were limiting him to about an hour a day, but he asked tons and bunches throughout the day. The VCR just broke and we're not going to replace it. We have the ability to transfer the tapes to dvds and I'm torn.

On one hand, he really likes these shows and I do think they have merit. On the other hand, he is a junkie when they are available to him. The documentaries he's not as interested in (though he does like them.) So he will watch a bit then turn it off. We don't have to limit him, we don't get hounded by him, "Just one more." He self regulates because he's not quite as interested.

It has been so peaceful here since the VCR died. I'm not sure if we should put Blue's Clues on DVD so he can watch them or if we should just leave well enough alone. We really want him to develop the habit/ability to self-limit to just a few hours a week, at most. What does everyone think?

 

[oceanbaby]

I don't know if I'm going to be much help - I think no tv is ideal for everyone, adults and kids, just like no sugar is ideal. But we enjoy occasional tv here, as do we enjoy occasional sugar.

We don't have hard and fast rules about how much tv we watch a day, because it's situational. If we're feeling down, if the weather sucks, or we're just low energy, we watch more tv. Other times, days go by without the tv being turned on. That's a hard concept for a 3.5yo, though, so I'd probably say 1 or 2 shows at a time.

If it were us, I'd probably put them on DVD. But I don't think there is any harm in having them stay gone, especially if he seems to have forgotten about them. If your days have gotten better without them, then I would probably let them stay "broken."

 

[zinemama]

We are TV-free but have a weekly movie night on Sundays. It's something they look forward to and a real treat. And since it is just that one time, there is never, ever any question of watching during the week. It works very well.

 

[meemee]

my philosophy over tv is v. different than anyone here.

i have never controlled it. but then i have never really needed it. we are an outdoor family so we spend a lot of time outdoors. when we are home we usually are involved with something.

plus my situation is situational too. at 3 for a brief period my dd watched tv for about 5 to 6 hours a day while i took care of somethings. at 3 1/2 she watched two movies back to back.

i think at 3 she was v. addicted to tv. but then we never watched on a regular basis. somedays she watched one hour, somedays two and for weeks none. and then again a few hours.

today at 6 1/2 tv has lost its appeal. she will watch sometimes - maybe on a saturday or sunday - if we are not doing anything.

somedays its tv shows, somedays dvds. the max tv she watches a week would be one day - if that.

tv has never been about we have nothing to do so lets watch tv. if anything its been ooh its saturday - my fav shows are on. i want to watch that. so there is a purpose. she does not watch when she does not like the shows.

so really you have to decide where you stand with tv.

oh and the other thing. i hate the stress on 'if its educational that's ok'. i dont buy that. neither do i buy into it has to be educational. when dd was younger we did both. i introduced her to tom and jerry when she was what 4 and she loved it. between 4 and 5 she lost her interest in educational videos and yet magic school bus was her favourite dvd. now she is more interested in educational even at the cost of her fav. entertainment series.

 

[ckberkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinemama We are TV-free but have a weekly movie night on Sundays. It's something they look forward to and a real treat. And since it is just that one time, there is never, ever any question of watching during the week. It works very well.

I like that idea. Everyone knows what to expect/ look forward to.

 

[RockStarMom]

In my opinion, 3.5 is too young to learn to self-limit.
My daughter is 3.5 and we don't have a TV.

 

[LaughingHyena]

I would transfer them to DVD but not get them out until needed.

During our last round of illness I was really glad to have some suitable TV programmes recorded.

 

[SundayCrepes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaughingHyena I would transfer them to DVD but not get them out until needed. During our last round of illness I was really glad to have some suitable TV programmes recorded.

What did you do when the illness was over? I let him spend all day watching the music from Mama Mia when he was sick, then I put the dvd away. I think it's easier to put away Mama Mia than it is to put away Blue's Clues.

 

[SundayCrepes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockStarMom In my opinion, 3.5 is too young to learn to self-limit.

This is something that is giving my brain pause for thought.

We sort of impose self-limiting. If he doesn't self-limit, then we limit. Without Blue's Clues, we're fine. With it, we have to say 1 hour a day. I wouldn't care if he watched 5 hours one day and none for 2 weeks, but with BC, that's not where we were.

 

[EnviroBecca]

Put away the Blue's Clues tapes and set a date when you will decide what to do with them.

Our VCR broke on Shrove Tuesday last year, so we decided to give up videotapes for Lent. We had been watching old episodes of "Futurama" and "The Simpsons" routinely. By Easter we did not miss them anymore. Over a year later, we still haven't replaced the VCR.

We do have things on tape that we'll want to watch again someday, so we'll have to either get another VCR or get them transferred to DVD, but we're in no rush. Life is simpler with fewer watching options.

We've been enjoying checking out DVDs from the library because, even if EnviroKid is obsessed and begging to watch them over and over and over again, after one week they have to go back and that problem is solved!

 

[LynnS6]

We allow our kids more TV than most people here do - ds watches 1-2 shows a day, and spends about 30 minutes playing computer games. Dd watches 2-4 shows a day on days when she's not in daycare, about 2 when she is.

My philosophy basically boils down to: everything in moderation. Even with 4 shows (at about 20-25 minutes each), dd is watching less than 2 hours of TV a day. She's fairly active at other times, she's very imaginative (with things that have nothing to do with TV). Dh works from home, so those times when she's watching TV are a welcome relief for him. (It's not like he's going to be interacting with her all that time because of his work demands.)

Dh also enjoys TV and has a few favorite shows (Mythbusters being his big one). I watch TV while riding the exercise bike, and probably spend an hour a day surfing the net for fun. So I can't well tell my kids no screen time if I'm spending considerable screen time.

Things we've done to limit tv:
-We've established a show limit, and our kids get to choose when they want to fill their limit. If dd wants to watch 4 shows in a row in the morning, so be it.
-We keep the TV in the basement, away from the main play area of the house (the living room).
-We encourage outdoor play, we spend time with the kids indoors and out. They'd much rather play with us than watch TV.
-We have a DVR, so what they watch is prescreened, essentially. There's no channel surfing. If there's not something recorded that they want to watch, they don't watch.
-We're fairly flexible when someone gets sick.

Interestingly, even when my kids are sick and I'd let them watch TV all day, they don't. They watch 2 shows, and then stop. I think each kid did go through a period at about age 3 where they wanted to watch a lot more, and I think we let them watch some more, but we did help them regulate it a bit. There's also a real seasonal effect for TV in our house. In the summer, very little TV gets watched, in the winter, it's more.

 

[lucyem]

We tend to be careful about what is watched and careful about when. But as for how much per day that changes per day and situation. Today is school vacation and I had an emergency vet call, a fence installed and another delivery. The kids watched a good 4 hours of tv. Not my first choice but it kept me and them sane. Tomorrow we will be out and about and there will be no tv. We do not allow tv before bed.

Oh and to answer your question - at 3 1/2 I would avoid tv as much as possible. But would have videos on hand for an emergency/rainy day.

 

[SundayCrepes]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'll skip copying the tapes onto dvd. We are visiting my parents (2 hour drive) and I brought all the tapes here. They can stay here and we can visit them every couple months.

Life has been so much easier since the VCR died. We got about 2 weeks of blue's clues. He enjoyed it, but the constant requests to watch tv (and not play as much as he had been) got really old. Now we have a tv request every few days. I can say yes without worrying how long he's going to want to sit in front of the machine.

 

[cuttiebearmom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mybabysmama Life has been so much easier since the VCR died.

It sounds like you are doing the right thing if it is so positive

. We are a no-tv family with the exception of a once every week or so family movie night and would not have it any other way right now. We'll see in the future when they are less under mamas wings

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