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Thursday, May 29, 2014

My Worst Frenemy

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Television.  I have such a love hate relationship with TV.

I hate TV.  I hate the way it makes Logan act.  He is so whiny when he wants to watch TV, and such a zombie while it's on, and so incredibly ornery when you turn it off.  He talks about Mickey and Minnie and Daisy and Donald and Goofy and Clarabelle and Pete more than he talks about any real person.  I know that can't be a good thing.  It's the first thing he asks for in the morning and the thing he begs for throughout the day.  I hate that.

On the other hand...

I love TV.  I literally have a person climbing on me, or sucking on me, or kicking me at all times of the day.  In fact, I have a certain 2 year old climbing on me this very moment while I type this very sentence.  Call me crazy, but sometimes I would like to take a shower.  You turn on Mickey Mouse and it's like you've been given the gift of 24 uninterrupted minutes.  It's almost like a gift from the Gods.  The shower Gods.  Double that and you've got 48 minutes.  That's enough for a shower and a dash of make-up.  Or maybe even a work out and a shower.  You get what I'm saying.  TV time is special mommy time.  I love that.

Today was a no TV day.  Logan woke up before 6 am and demanded to watch The Mouse.  I woke up with my mommy dictator pants on I suppose because I put my foot down.  And you know what, it was seriously a terrible day.  I'll spare you all the gory details but let's just say there were tears from
6 am to 9 am when I finally convinced Logan to eat breakfast.  It left me wondering, what's the best option? No TV, some TV, as much TV as they want?

We've all heard it a million times.  TV is bad for kids.  It makes them fat, lazy, anti-social couch potatoes.  And throw in a dash of ADHD for good measure.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who lets their 2.5 year old indulge in a little Paw Patrol and Mickey the Mouse and has since he was <1?  Am I screwing him up royally?  Am I setting him up for a horrible life?  What do you guys think?  Does TV a little hellion make?

PS- Isn't the view from our home office beautiful?


It's almost as beautiful as the view inside our home office!  :)

2 comments:

  1. I don't think there is anything wrong with a little T.V. There are a lot of educational shows on nowadays, and I try to let Samantha watch those so at least she's learning a bit while she watches. (Unfortunately, all she wants to watch right now is The Jungle Book, which is not very educational...in fact, she has learned things like "leave me alone" and "I don't trust anyone" from that show...not good, not good!) I definitely have a time of day that I allow her to watch T.V. It's usually after nap time so we can have a quiet afternoon, I can make dinner, put Maya down for her afternoon/evening nap, etc. Plus, sometimes Sam wakes up grumpy from nap (or doesn't nap at all so is extra tired) and the T.V. allows her to just relax and not drive me nuts! I also let her play with the iPad in the mornings (so I don't have to get up when she does at 6:30!). We listen to music when she's eating so she gets that too. She gets plenty of time to run around outside. She gets plenty of time at different classes I have her in (music, sometimes preschool, sometimes swimming, etc.) so I think as long as kids have a lot of opportunities to learn in different environments, everything is just fine! You're doing great, mama! Don't sweat the small stuff! :-)

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    1. Thanks Court! Glad to know I'm not alone on this one! Sounds like you and I have similar approaches! His favorites are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Paw Patrol which are pretty harmelss! I can usually hold him off until after nap. The last few weeks it's been getting a little out of control though. I think when they start begging for it, that's a sign that it's time to cut back. I agree, moderation and balance in all things! I love to read your blog and hear all about your two adorable girls!

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