TV is the Devil!!!

I read the whole thread last night and for us I have to agree with Bahia.

B is 2 months away from turning 2 and loves watching TV. She gets to watch Lof kleuters (knows all the songs, can tell you what comes next etc) Lollos (but getting tired of it a bit) Barney (went through a stage but out of it now)

I don't let her watch 'grownup tv' so to speak. Cbeebies and Kowee is okay because I've seen the shows. She gets frightened easily. About a month or two ago I thought she was 'old enough' to watch a movie, she liked toy story 1. We tried watching Nemo, but the part where nemo gets caught by the dentist freaked her out (the sound is loud and the guy pops up from no where etc) we had a weeks worth of nightmares after that. We have a lot of those animated movies and I've seen them all but I can't find one that doesn't have something scary in it.

So we limited what she can watch and we sit with her when she watches tv and explain everything she sees. She loves Uki and can watch that before bed time (only 5 minutes long)

One day when B woke up from a nap there was a movie on Shallow hal and it took me like 2 minutes into a sex scene to realise what was going on and B's eyes were glued. It scares me how desensitized we have become.

Anyway, TV or no TV I think it's about balance. And balance is something we (as parents) need to teach our children from a young age otherwise they are going to become just like some of us (addicted to TV, computers etc) or like some men out there who sit in front of their computer games / playstations / nintendos etc thinking that everything around them gets done by fairies. We need to teach by example, that's why, in our house for the most part the tv isn't switched on before B isn't safely tucked in bed (same for the computer)

Loving the feedback ladies... I think RM made an excellent point... It's all about control... Everything in moderation.

We are the parents after all we have to guide our kids.

With so much technology around, tv, computers, cellphones, playstations, xboxes, wii, i pads, media players etc Not to mention social networks fb, myspace, bbm, mxit, the list goes on... we no doubt will have lots more challenges ahead.

Lets derive as much good as we can from all these technological advances and keep the negative things far away from our kids.

For now no tv for my nunu:)

From the little that I've read the issue is more for kids under the age of 2.
And to be honest, I feel it is a little like doping him. Whilst the tv is on he will sit quietly (this NEVER happens) and not do anything else. Sounds a little like doping to me. so it's kinda like I'm robbing him of that hour he should have been learning something else. So I personally think at this age it's more about how much rather than what.

But obviously if your kids are older the reverse is important.
If your kids are asking to put the tv on RM I am amazed! That's control! My SIL's lg is 4 now but has always known how to operate the tv. Needless to say she sleeps in on Saterdays

my nearly 3 year old son knows every advert on TV, he spends more time with my brothers who watch a lot of music shows on TV so he knows mist songs and adverts.

His vocabulary has increased amazingly and people can't believe that he's not even 3 years old, we do not watch movies with a long of strong language so his vocab is still pure but he is smart and I find that TV stimulates his mind.

He can count to 10 already
knows hic basic colors and all that because he watches the educational shows as well but in general TV is always on in my house so I see nothing wrong with it.

Ok, here's me, I hate having a quiet house, I need constant background noise and I fall asleep to movies. Whenever I cant sleep I put on aa (very violent) movie.

So Em has been raised to aslo have the tv on in the background. We play, we build puzzles, and "learn" but yes the TV is on.

I also do not believe that all TV needs to be educational - why?? Children - just like adults - need some down time - why must everything they do be educational?

However for my sanity, I limit what Em is allowed to watch. She knows Tellitubbies are not allowed and will switch the TV off if they come on - same with the night garden. She doesn't even know who Barney is.

She loves art shows and we enjoy doing the same type of activites afterwards.

However there is no TV while eating and bedtime is a story in her room.
She may fall asleep in front of the TV every 2 weeks, when we have our family camp-out in the lounge.

Just an idea ....

We make it very clear in our house that tv is a perk/luxury/treat - it is not a right.

Kids ask if they can put the television on, rather than waltz in and put it on.

TV priveledges are the first to go if there is an issue about anything.

If the weather is good, tv is off, and they must go play outside (this freaks out friends of kids when they are over to play, they look at me like I am Cruella de Vil).

We have DSTV and we block several channels and kids are only allowed to watch certain shows.

My son for instance loves National Geographic and Animal Planet, and my daughter loves C Beebies so that is great.

I have no issue with TV in theory, but there is something to be said for control.

<many of my son's friends have unlimited TV time, TV in their rooms, computers, nintendos, technically they hardly ever interact with a live person!>

We have a tv and my kids probably watch more than they should.

BUT in my defence - we don't have DSTV - we download movies and series for them so we have a large amount of "control" over what they watch - which I think is more the issue than how much.

Because we don't have DSTV the TV rarely goes on - they have one show they watch daily - 30 minutes.

Honestly for us right now it works