Friday, August 20, 2010

To view or not to view?



Phot of Dirty Job's Mike Rowe & Oscar the grouch from here

I came across this on one of my favourite blogs and it got me thinking. What is your approach to television with your kids?

The Mr is a TV freak, he loves it, even if he is not interested in a show he will watch it. We had a black out (electrical not political!) in summer and he nearly gave himself a stroke trying to figure out how to get TV streamed onto his mobile phone. I do like it but I am not quite so obsessive. I love Australian shows and have to admit to my bit of crap TV. Because we can get radio and music channels through our TV I tend to have those on a lot.

As far as madam goes - when she was small her TV was limited to music shows - before she could walk she knew who John Butler was. As she has gotten older her TV has expanded to include the likes of Playschool and Sesame Street and sometimes a few other ABC favourites. Her favourite at the moment is Dirty Jobs. She is a big fan of watching things that are a little different!

She does not, by any means, sit in front of the television all the time. She is an incredibly active, imaginative, chatty little girl who in summer pretty much lives outdoors. I do believe that sometimes, if used properly, television can be used to educate and inspire rather than kill brain cells. Yes I will put my hand up and say I do use it , on occasion, to give me a breather. Sometimes I just need 5 minutes to make a call, read a blog, have a cuppa, etc.

So I am just wondering how do you all use or not use the television with your kids? If you don't let them watch TV what do they do? To view or not to view...that is the question!

2 comments:

Christie - Childhood 101 said...

My 2 1/2 year old watches less than an hour of TV a day, the programs vary - Playschool most days, a Charlie and Lola, dirtgirlworld or Wiggle & Learn some days. I don't have a problem with age appropriate children's programs, it is the advertising and inappropriate content children are exposed to when the TV is just left on constantly which worries me most. Images which are shown (even on news updates) are so gruesome nowadays and I just don't think young children have the mental or emotional capacity to process such events.

Sorry for my rave!!

Kelly said...

jaspie love mr make it - i love TV!!!! gives you some peace. if kids werent meant to watch tv, parents werent meant to parent in nuclear families. i gave up tv guilt a long time back. but its only ABC here- hate the ads- poor role modelling.- shitty shows too! lol