Video killed the radio star
Caches does not watch any television, nor does he play with any type of electronic device. Of course he has seen the television on and he has looked at pictures on my phone many times, but no, he has never sat down and watched television, and he won't be doing so for a very long time.
At first I thought babies and toddlers not watching any television was fairly common, but apparently the cheese stands alone. And the gasps, oh the gasps I have encountered when I tell people that he isn't allowed to watch television. They almost out number the gasps I hear when I tell people that he STILL isn't sleeping through the night, almost. Oh the horror! This poor kid really is doomed isn't he.
Sarcasm aside, I really am shocked at the amount of television and other media that very young children are exposed to. And I'm sorry if this offends you, no disclaimer this time, I just don't understand why kids are watching so much television! Okay, that's a lie, I have a good idea why, I just don't agree with it.
I have been told that it is educational. My kid learned A B C from watching X Y Z. Sorry but it was proven years ago that there is no such thing as "educational" television for children under the age of two. Their young brains simply can not retain or comprehend what is going on. What is likely happening is that you are pointing out colors, numbers, the alphabet, etc. to your child, like all parents do, and amazingly enough, YOU are teaching them these things! There is absolutely nothing, not one single thing television can teach a young child that you cannot.
I have been told that he will just love it, it is so relaxing for my son or daughter, they just zone out. It seems that way because when children watch television they are so overstimulated by what is going on that they go into a kind of hypnotic state where they look relaxed but in reality their brains are overwhelmed with stimulation. So maybe your child seems intrigued by the show and what is being discussed, but in reality they are likely just in a television induced trance. Of course if that is what you are going for then great, mission accomplished.
This is one I get a lot. But what happens when he goes to school and all the other kids know who Thomas and Dora and Spongebob are, and he doesn't. Well, I'm not exactly sure how I will handle this situation if and when it arises. He might get made fun of, he might tell me I suck, or he might not care at all, but it certainly doesn't worry me enough to allow him to watch television just so he knows who the characters are.
And while I'm no a roll, I also have a really hard time with the amount of advertising and brain washing, yes I said brain washing, that is associated with television watching. Young children are extremely influenced by what they see in the advertisements on television, heck even older children and adults are influenced by commercials. Don't agree? Explain to me then why it costs MILLIONS of dollars to advertise a product for just seconds of commercial time during the Super Bowl. Probably because advertising on television doesn't work, right?
Okay, the television your child watches doesn't have commercials, great. But they still make toys, party supplies, books, and clothing. And slap their sweet little character faces on stickers, cups, bedding, and food like products full of garbage that are marketed directly to your child. I could go on and on about this topic, but I will spare you. If you are actually interested in the whole consumer kids movement there are plenty of resources you can check out for yourself. I promise you will be disturbed.
On to the next question I get. How do you get anything done? I cook, clean, crochet, sleep, read, etc. when my kids watch a show. I do all of those things too, I just have help, and I use the term loosely. Okay, I don't crochet or read, and I definitely don't sleep, but there is a minimal amount of cooking and cleaning each day. This one I actually really do understand. Putting on a show so you can get a few things done uninterrupted does make sense, I am just personally not comfortable with it. I see it as a gateway drug. One day Caches is watching Sesame Street so I can cook dinner and the next he asks to watch for just a few minutes while I shower and before you know it he is asking all the time and it turns into a constant negotiation. I'd rather have zero. There is no negotiation with zero.
Now before you send out the angry mob to my house, or call me a crazy hippie who is totally out of touch with reality, let me clear something up. Caches will watch television some day, of course he will, I am not totally insane! I understand the desire to fit in with peers, the entertainment value, the social connection that television and movies provide AND the blissful silence that can occur when a kid is totally enamored with a show. I get it, I'm okay with it. I also know that television isn't going anywhere and that it will be a constant part of our lives with children, fine. But for now there are about a million other things I'd rather my not even two year old be doing with his time. Including trying to poke Abner's butthole, trying to catch flies and staring at a pill bug for 45 minutes.
*Okay I lied about there being no disclaimer. As always, PLEASE don't feel like I am judging you if your kid watches television, I'm honestly not. I know we all have different ways of doing things and I am perfectly and lovingly accepting of that.
At first I thought babies and toddlers not watching any television was fairly common, but apparently the cheese stands alone. And the gasps, oh the gasps I have encountered when I tell people that he isn't allowed to watch television. They almost out number the gasps I hear when I tell people that he STILL isn't sleeping through the night, almost. Oh the horror! This poor kid really is doomed isn't he.
Sarcasm aside, I really am shocked at the amount of television and other media that very young children are exposed to. And I'm sorry if this offends you, no disclaimer this time, I just don't understand why kids are watching so much television! Okay, that's a lie, I have a good idea why, I just don't agree with it.
I have been told that it is educational. My kid learned A B C from watching X Y Z. Sorry but it was proven years ago that there is no such thing as "educational" television for children under the age of two. Their young brains simply can not retain or comprehend what is going on. What is likely happening is that you are pointing out colors, numbers, the alphabet, etc. to your child, like all parents do, and amazingly enough, YOU are teaching them these things! There is absolutely nothing, not one single thing television can teach a young child that you cannot.
I have been told that he will just love it, it is so relaxing for my son or daughter, they just zone out. It seems that way because when children watch television they are so overstimulated by what is going on that they go into a kind of hypnotic state where they look relaxed but in reality their brains are overwhelmed with stimulation. So maybe your child seems intrigued by the show and what is being discussed, but in reality they are likely just in a television induced trance. Of course if that is what you are going for then great, mission accomplished.
This is one I get a lot. But what happens when he goes to school and all the other kids know who Thomas and Dora and Spongebob are, and he doesn't. Well, I'm not exactly sure how I will handle this situation if and when it arises. He might get made fun of, he might tell me I suck, or he might not care at all, but it certainly doesn't worry me enough to allow him to watch television just so he knows who the characters are.
And while I'm no a roll, I also have a really hard time with the amount of advertising and brain washing, yes I said brain washing, that is associated with television watching. Young children are extremely influenced by what they see in the advertisements on television, heck even older children and adults are influenced by commercials. Don't agree? Explain to me then why it costs MILLIONS of dollars to advertise a product for just seconds of commercial time during the Super Bowl. Probably because advertising on television doesn't work, right?
Okay, the television your child watches doesn't have commercials, great. But they still make toys, party supplies, books, and clothing. And slap their sweet little character faces on stickers, cups, bedding, and food like products full of garbage that are marketed directly to your child. I could go on and on about this topic, but I will spare you. If you are actually interested in the whole consumer kids movement there are plenty of resources you can check out for yourself. I promise you will be disturbed.
On to the next question I get. How do you get anything done? I cook, clean, crochet, sleep, read, etc. when my kids watch a show. I do all of those things too, I just have help, and I use the term loosely. Okay, I don't crochet or read, and I definitely don't sleep, but there is a minimal amount of cooking and cleaning each day. This one I actually really do understand. Putting on a show so you can get a few things done uninterrupted does make sense, I am just personally not comfortable with it. I see it as a gateway drug. One day Caches is watching Sesame Street so I can cook dinner and the next he asks to watch for just a few minutes while I shower and before you know it he is asking all the time and it turns into a constant negotiation. I'd rather have zero. There is no negotiation with zero.
Now before you send out the angry mob to my house, or call me a crazy hippie who is totally out of touch with reality, let me clear something up. Caches will watch television some day, of course he will, I am not totally insane! I understand the desire to fit in with peers, the entertainment value, the social connection that television and movies provide AND the blissful silence that can occur when a kid is totally enamored with a show. I get it, I'm okay with it. I also know that television isn't going anywhere and that it will be a constant part of our lives with children, fine. But for now there are about a million other things I'd rather my not even two year old be doing with his time. Including trying to poke Abner's butthole, trying to catch flies and staring at a pill bug for 45 minutes.
*Okay I lied about there being no disclaimer. As always, PLEASE don't feel like I am judging you if your kid watches television, I'm honestly not. I know we all have different ways of doing things and I am perfectly and lovingly accepting of that.
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