18 December 2006
"Burn your TV in your yard"
How much TV is too much for your kids? Or for yourself for that matter?
That's a great conundrum of the pundits and the culture warriors. Any concerned parent thinks about the issue. Before becoming a parent, I remember hearing many caveats about the dangers of letting the TV be your babysitter... and many self-righteous comments about never falling into that trap.
But what if you are a TV watcher yourself? What if you, or you and your spouse or partner, do that for fun? What if an evening of TV watching is entertainment for you - relaxation, together-time, recreation? Do you need to shun this activity to be a good example for your child(ren)?
Since having our son, it's certainly been a topic of discussion and thought in our house. We first started turning the TV on for our son on his own when we realized we really needed to get some housework done. He was still very young, so Baby Einstein was the DVD of choice, and for 30 minutes or so, he was occupied watching the toys and shapes and colors and we got done what was needed.
I immediately felt ashamed at having the TV "babysit" our son.
I myself battle what I've come to define as my "TV addiction". I grew up with a father very much interested in watching anything and everything on TV. It was always on. At his house, we watched TV while we ate dinner. When I married, we often did that ourselves. The living room was comfortable and the atmosphere more relaxed than our kitchen table and creaking antique dining chairs. I often stay up late trying to work but in front of the TV for "company" watching whatever reruns or old movies are on, even if I've seen them before. Cable is a great friend, offering countless classic movies, history lessons, and reruns for my consumption. And the Sci-Fi channel? My God. I was in heaven when I first found that on my lineup.
I even extended my TV watching into my other past-time, Trivia. For the success of our Trivia team, I took notes on TV shows and commercials, taped season premieres, and cataloged the tapes. Every spring, my TV watching time increased as I prepped for the World's Largest Trivia Contest. TV was a significant part of my life.
Even as I ramped up my TV watching for fun and team pride, I hated it. I felt I was wasting my time. I was a media junkie applying myself more to my entertainment than to my enrichment or personal improvement. There's a strong vein of hermetic thought in my personal philosophy, and I wondered if TV was damaging me spiritually. I nodded along with those who said TV was an evil that needed to be kept from our kids.
Today, I've tempered my views a bit. While I internally battle the competing tormentors of excess and abstinence, I seek the angel of moderation. I've removed extended cable. Our son occupies us until his bedtime. We tape two or three shows (House, The Office, Lost) during the week and watch them after he goes to bed, and one more show (ER) while it airs. I still watch the local news nearly every weekday morning, though I also use that time reading online. We're succeding without having to "Throw it all away".
Of course another media has moved in to corrupt us. My wife and I both enjoy our wireless internet on our laptops and spend many more hours online each week than we spend watching TV.
And our son? He gets to watch his "movies" several times a week, though not necessarily everyday. He rarely watches more than an hour of TV a day, and usually 30 minutes or less. We try to chose things that are somewhat education, interactive, or enriching. I value art in many forms, and feel that music should be a big part of his experiences, so I'm glad that he enjoys musical shows we've gotten for him.
Sometimes I worry that we're to cavalier about the use of the TV, but overall I think it's just another experience he's absorbing into that sponge-like brain of his. Just more nutrients for his growing self. As long as we choose (for now) and help him choose (as he gets older) the things he watches, and monitor the time he's spending in front of that box, I think it'll end up alright.
Undoubtedly, there are parents who are shaking their head at me and experts wagging their fingers in reproach. But hey - it could be worse (I've seen it), and so far, he's a pretty bright and personable kid as judged by many an outside source. I think we're going to be OK.
As for myself - I'm working on scheduling myself some evening projects to complete instead of vegging, and will try to just go to bed (and probably read) when I'm tired. But I don't think I need to cut back my prime time viewing more than I already have. I hear I'm a pretty bright and personable guy, too. Though that's from my wife (and my mom), so I guess I should seek outside opinions.
That's a great conundrum of the pundits and the culture warriors. Any concerned parent thinks about the issue. Before becoming a parent, I remember hearing many caveats about the dangers of letting the TV be your babysitter... and many self-righteous comments about never falling into that trap.
But what if you are a TV watcher yourself? What if you, or you and your spouse or partner, do that for fun? What if an evening of TV watching is entertainment for you - relaxation, together-time, recreation? Do you need to shun this activity to be a good example for your child(ren)?
Since having our son, it's certainly been a topic of discussion and thought in our house. We first started turning the TV on for our son on his own when we realized we really needed to get some housework done. He was still very young, so Baby Einstein was the DVD of choice, and for 30 minutes or so, he was occupied watching the toys and shapes and colors and we got done what was needed.
I immediately felt ashamed at having the TV "babysit" our son.
I myself battle what I've come to define as my "TV addiction". I grew up with a father very much interested in watching anything and everything on TV. It was always on. At his house, we watched TV while we ate dinner. When I married, we often did that ourselves. The living room was comfortable and the atmosphere more relaxed than our kitchen table and creaking antique dining chairs. I often stay up late trying to work but in front of the TV for "company" watching whatever reruns or old movies are on, even if I've seen them before. Cable is a great friend, offering countless classic movies, history lessons, and reruns for my consumption. And the Sci-Fi channel? My God. I was in heaven when I first found that on my lineup.
I even extended my TV watching into my other past-time, Trivia. For the success of our Trivia team, I took notes on TV shows and commercials, taped season premieres, and cataloged the tapes. Every spring, my TV watching time increased as I prepped for the World's Largest Trivia Contest. TV was a significant part of my life.
Even as I ramped up my TV watching for fun and team pride, I hated it. I felt I was wasting my time. I was a media junkie applying myself more to my entertainment than to my enrichment or personal improvement. There's a strong vein of hermetic thought in my personal philosophy, and I wondered if TV was damaging me spiritually. I nodded along with those who said TV was an evil that needed to be kept from our kids.
Today, I've tempered my views a bit. While I internally battle the competing tormentors of excess and abstinence, I seek the angel of moderation. I've removed extended cable. Our son occupies us until his bedtime. We tape two or three shows (House, The Office, Lost) during the week and watch them after he goes to bed, and one more show (ER) while it airs. I still watch the local news nearly every weekday morning, though I also use that time reading online. We're succeding without having to "Throw it all away".
Of course another media has moved in to corrupt us. My wife and I both enjoy our wireless internet on our laptops and spend many more hours online each week than we spend watching TV.
And our son? He gets to watch his "movies" several times a week, though not necessarily everyday. He rarely watches more than an hour of TV a day, and usually 30 minutes or less. We try to chose things that are somewhat education, interactive, or enriching. I value art in many forms, and feel that music should be a big part of his experiences, so I'm glad that he enjoys musical shows we've gotten for him.
Sometimes I worry that we're to cavalier about the use of the TV, but overall I think it's just another experience he's absorbing into that sponge-like brain of his. Just more nutrients for his growing self. As long as we choose (for now) and help him choose (as he gets older) the things he watches, and monitor the time he's spending in front of that box, I think it'll end up alright.
Undoubtedly, there are parents who are shaking their head at me and experts wagging their fingers in reproach. But hey - it could be worse (I've seen it), and so far, he's a pretty bright and personable kid as judged by many an outside source. I think we're going to be OK.
As for myself - I'm working on scheduling myself some evening projects to complete instead of vegging, and will try to just go to bed (and probably read) when I'm tired. But I don't think I need to cut back my prime time viewing more than I already have. I hear I'm a pretty bright and personable guy, too. Though that's from my wife (and my mom), so I guess I should seek outside opinions.
Labels: Baby Einstein, culture war, internet, trivia, tv
