No TV for my kids.

First I want to let everyone know that I do not think you are a bad parent for letting your kids watch TV. Parenting is not a  one size fits all thing. What I am saying though is the TV is not right for my family and doesn’t fit in.

 

The more I see pictures of my friends kids sitting in front of the TV. I wonder am I the last mom in America to not allow my kids to watch the boob tube? I swear every day I get on my addiction Facebook I see a picture of some baby sitting 5 inches away from the TV. In their bouncers or some other baby sitting up device just glued to it. I for one do not think these pictures are cute. Frankly they annoy me. Right now is the only time you will get with those babies, and you are letting the TV babysit them. Not to mention this is such an important time for them to learn and while there are some educational shows why not play with your kids and teach them? I have never understood this.

Why am I so against TV? Well first off the main reason is a friend of mine growing up did nothing but watch TV. Her whole life she was just sat in front of the TV. And it showed. She always told people that the people she saw on TV were her friends. She would talk about the plots on the shows as if they happened to her. She did this well beyond an “acceptable” age. It always bothered me. She did not learn basic life skills and how to make friends because she always acted like the girls she saw on TV. And I mean have you ever seen those kids on TV now? They are BRATS. Dis-respectful to their parents. Have no rules. And have the worst attitudes I have ever seen. I don’t like that is what our society depicts pre-teens and teens like now. They are not role models and should not be seen as them! Okay rant over. But that is my main reasons. The other reasons, because I have so much my kids need to learn, and since I know numbers, shapes, patterns, and colors. I think hands on learning that I can teach them is better for them, builds our relationships, and is more fun!

I think I should let everyone know that Dexter (two and a half) does get to watch 30 minutes of TV a day. I try for no TV at all be honestly it is a good babysitter and sometimes I do need a break. Max however is not allowed to watch TV at all. When Dexter is watching I will put Max where he can’t see it and play a game with him. When I tell my friends that these are OUR family rules they look at me as if I have lost it. They ask well what do you do?? As if there is nothing else in this world to do but watch TV. We do lots of things! We go to the park, play trucks, go to museums, play super hero's, paint, play with water (I fill up buckets of water and they play with them for hours), we bake, read LOTS of books, and just be together. There is so much fun stuff out there for kids to learn about and so much for them to do! I challenge everyone to turn the tv off for one day and just play all day with your kids. It is awesome to see how smart they are and how fun it really can be.

My other disclaimer is that when the kids are in bed I watch way to much TV. Yep that’s right, my kids can’t watch it but I sure can! Its nice to be the mom. :oP

So I have to know am I the last mom to put a ban on the TV? What do you do with your kids instead of letting them watch it all day?