Comments on It's All About We...: Extend the Family

We do occasional YouTube stuff, and the boys watch...

2009-06-22T16:40:35.785-04:00

We do occasional YouTube stuff, and the boys watch videos when I cut their hair (it's the only way they'll sit still). Plus movie (video) night every month or so. But no "regular" TV, unless they're barfing. I just don't see the need for it. And, being in the no-TV habit, it's not even an option for when I need help. Which is often.

Because really, I could have written this entire post. Same stuff: no TV, need help, so much easier with help, Dave works full time, so I'm the main parent most of the time. But I send them out into the rain, or throw a book in their laps, or force a crayon into their fists, or whatever. I really try to cut down on the YouTube because they get a little obsessive, and it makes me remember why we don't do TV.

My kids are super gentle and mellow and they seem happy to me. They are also total pop culture idiots, as you know (http://worldofjulie.com/?p=1604). But I think that being able to pretty much recite the entire Winnie the Pooh book from memory is going to get Henry a lot farther in life than being up to date on the vapid plotless programming that is kid television today. And knowing all the lyrics to a Pete Seeger CD is much cooler in my mind than know whatall about Pingu. Whatever that is.

Crying baby, gotta go. Maybe she's reading this and realizing I'm serious about this no TV thing, really I am.

Yeah, as I said in the bliggidy, part of why we li...

2009-06-12T17:49:52.708-04:00

Yeah, as I said in the bliggidy, part of why we limit tv is because we actually enjoy a lot of it. A lot. So moderation isn't our strong suit.

For the more admirable reasons, though, I'm finding it so shocking how almost NO ONE supports the idea of no tv for little ones. Seriously. Even the crunchiest of my hippy friends, save one online friend and one off, are all about defending the idea of some tv is okay (it IS okay, just not our choice so early).

Parental brags are always welcome here, by the way. Brag on!

I do have some concerns that Maya and Althea will have some social twangs of rejection since they're out of the cool loop (it's happened already, dammit). But that's just made us seek out more like-minded families for at least the next few years. After building a strong foundation it's our hope that she'll kick ass wherever she goes cuz she'll really know who she is (and not think she needs to be whoeverthehellthoseblondgirlsontvshakingtheirassesatage8).

I dunno. Both of my kids grew up carnivorous read...

2009-06-12T15:16:28.580-04:00

I dunno. Both of my kids grew up carnivorous readers and avid TV nuts who knew and still know the names of all the actors on all the sitcoms. They are also video game nuts (they know who sings "Suke te da ni" on Final Fantasy) and they laugh at me because I mispronounce Keira whatshername, if it is a her, I'm not sure. The Simpsons was my only effort at control, and it failed miserably.

They still like me to watch TV with them when they are home, which these days (they are 20 and 24) is like never. They both think I am an idiot for not liking Jane Austen (Jeez, Daddy, it's a fantasy, it's not like things are really that way, lighten up). And neither will tolerate my videogame skills, which they regard as an embarrassment.

/parental brag

Our two were raised without television programming...

2009-06-11T17:50:35.961-04:00

Our two were raised without television programming until the younger was reading well on his own (first grade or so, maybe second, iirc) because four of my sibs were avid readers and one was a non-reader. The four avid readers were brought up with scant television and then, for two-three years, had no television at all while we were out of the country. We were all reading voraciously when we returned to the States and were re-exposed to television. The non-reader was born after we got back: his first babbling was advertising jingles.

I wanted children who were avid readers and television (or the lack thereof) seemed to be the major factor.

My mother the shrink wasn't very supportive of my decision to keep TV out of the house until the younger younger one could read well. She loved her television shows and thought I was unnecessarily depriving the boys,

Research has since shown that, despite my mother's misgivings, there are real benefits to having "no TV" at early ages.

It =was= a lot more work, more hands on. I couldn't turn on Sesame Street when I needed a break. But it was worth the extra work and both boys grew into terrific people. And both are avid readers!

Hard to get a babysitter when we had no TV in the house, though. What would they =do= when the boys were settled in bed? Read???

My kids were forbidden to watch The Simpsons. I sa...

2009-06-11T17:46:30.635-04:00

My kids were forbidden to watch The Simpsons. I said it was a horrible sick show about a stupid passive mother and a brutal loser father so forget it. But Daddy, all the other kids watch it! Too bad. But that's all anybody talks about the next day! Tough. I was one unmovable dude! I was like a rock! Only it turned out to be funny so we all watched it all the time, the end.