CTTD (sort of)

HollyLewis wrote:
Not all kids care about TV though.


Yeah, the first several times we actually put on a video for DS, he insisted on
us watching it *with* him, and then he lost all interest in it after about 10
minutes max. I felt very odd about it -- here was self-righteous ol' me, never
having used the TV as a babysitter, and then when I *wanted* to do that, it
didn't work! :-)

He's still pretty much that way. He asks to watch one of his train videos once
in a while, but TV has never fascinated him. And so far he doesn't seem to
care about not having seen all the same stuff his preschool classmates have, so
I can hope that we'll have at least a couple more years before we have to
decide on whether we're going to have any formal rules or anything. My hope is
we won't need to, of course, since I agree that forbidding TV will probably
only make it more attractive. I'd prefer to restrict TV simply by offering
more interesting things to do. :-)

Holly
Mom to Camden, 3yo
EDD #2 6/8/04


My daughter's almost 8, and she doesn't seem to care that she doesn't
see the things her school friends do. At least, she never asks that we
get a TV.

Clisby

HollyLewis wrote:

I felt very odd about it -- here
was self-righteous ol' me, never having used the TV as a babysitter,
and then when I *wanted* to do that, it didn't work! :-)

No kidding. I thought it was kind of a PITA, especially when Luke was a
newborn :-)

so far
he doesn't seem to care about not having seen all the same stuff his
preschool classmates have,

Yes and they eat the cereal they *like* not the one with the most
commercials! He has *just* started begging for things in the store (my pet
peeve, it better pass soon!) but he doesn't ever beg for things like kids
that watch TV a lot do since he doesn't see all the commercials. Luke talks
about different cartoons and stuff a lot so...he is just different. Enjoys
it more. I wonder if it doens't have something to do with language?
Probably not ;-)
--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Nikki wrote in message
Yes and they eat the cereal they *like* not the one with the most
commercials! He has *just* started begging for things in the store (my
pet peeve, it better pass soon!) but he doesn't ever beg for things like
kids that watch TV a lot do since he doesn't see all the commercials.
Luke talks about different cartoons and stuff a lot so...he is just
different. Enjoys it more. I wonder if it doens't have something to do
with language? Probably not ;-)

My kids don't ask for the cereal they see on TV and they do watch a fair
amount of TV. They do, however, ask for cereal they like to eat. But, most
of the time though, I make a good breakfast. Only do they eat cereal when I
don't have time in the morning to cook. One thing I think is neat about my
girls is that since we have friends in the advertising business, they get to
see first hand what advertisers do to trick people into buying their
product. They are pretty wise on the commercials and don't fall for them.
Jenny, my middle daughter attended a class at school that was about what
they do to food during a commerical to make it look good. Now when she sees
those commercials, she yells at the TV and says that it is fake, lol. Even
toy commercials, especially those drawing aid commericals that you see, she
is my artist and she yells at those commericials how that's not real
drawing, lol. At Christmas, they will go through there I want that or I want
this, but so what. I see some commericals and say I want that too, but that
doesn't mean they will get it and they understand that.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

Sue wrote:

My kids don't ask for the cereal they see on TV and they do watch a
fair amount of TV.

The neighbor kids did that is why I mentioned it. Clearly YMMV :-) They
didn't watch an inordinate amount of TV either. I don't limit TV watching,
Hunter just isn't that interested. Actually they have probably watch more
TV then most kids this winter.

Only do they
eat cereal when I don't have time in the morning to cook.

Mine eat cereal 5 days a week and then I cook them something on weekends but
they eat the cereal better grr

One thing I
think is neat about my girls is that since we have friends in the
advertising business, they get to see first hand what advertisers do
to trick people into buying their product.

That is really cool. Smart kids :-)

At Christmas, they will go through there I
want that or I want this, but so what.

Hunter starts whining and crying in the store. It drives me nuts. I have
never given into a tantrum and don't even really buy him things very often.
I think it is just a phase but still irritating. I'm going to take a couple
'teaching' shopping trips if he doesn't knock it off!

I see some commericals and say
I want that too, but that doesn't mean they will get it and they
understand that.

I think Hunter does too. He has only asked for two things when at home. A
gator (battery powered car thing) and a tree house. Him and his dad talk
about them a lot. I think he'll get the tree house, not the gator :-) He
never talks about toys at home and he only begs now if he sees it at the
store. He never mentions it again once we leave. Odd.

Luke hasn't started yet either but he is much more into characters and
cartoons so as he gets older and realizes you can get things with Dora or
Clifford on them...he'll probably start :-)


--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

Sue wrote:
Deirdre wrote in message
Then again, what I was watching is quite a bit
different from what's on now. Cartoons were only on Saturday
mornings,
rather than the 24/7 barrage now offered by cable TV.

Oh yeah, my husband and I tell the girls all the time about how
there was no cartoon channel 24 hours a day when we were kids. They
are amazed, lol.

We regularly wonder what DS will take for granted, expressing amazement that
we grew up with such profound lack! I half expect him to crack the windows
code & rewrite before he's 8. LOL

Nikki wrote:
Deirdre wrote:

Not to be fatalistic or anything, but I suppose a certain degree of
fascination is inevitable... At least in our house, anyway.

I'm having a dull moment because I'm not exactly sure what you mean
by that, lol.

Not you -- I'm too sleep deprived to make sense anymore. ~
All I meant was that given the amount of TV (albeit movies on cable) that DH
& I watch, DS is all but guaranteed to inherit some of our appetites.


Not all kids care about TV though. My oldest was over 4 before he
gave a hoot about TV. My dh is a total TV addict so has it on all
the time. He actually encourages then to watch TV now that he is
with them during the days. :-P My younger son has liked it a lot
more from the very beginning and would watch a cartoon as early as
15mos. He actually watched them before the older one did.

They watch more in the winter. I do notice a difference in behavior
if they watch to much. At this point I'm sure they watch more then
most of the kids of the parents on this list but probably average
for my real life friends. --
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

I realize that every kid is different, and that perhaps I worry
unnecessarily. I just REALLY don't want DS to end up with a brain full of
nonsense thanks to non-stop crap kids programs. I'm sure I'm not alone.

HollyLewis wrote:
Not all kids care about TV though.

Yeah, the first several times we actually put on a video for DS, he
insisted on us watching it *with* him, and then he lost all interest
in it after about 10 minutes max. I felt very odd about it -- here
was self-righteous ol' me, never having used the TV as a babysitter,
and then when I *wanted* to do that, it didn't work! :-)

Figures, doesn't it? lol


He's still pretty much that way. He asks to watch one of his train
videos once in a while, but TV has never fascinated him. And so far
he doesn't seem to care about not having seen all the same stuff his
preschool classmates have....

That's the only misgiving I've got about serious regulations -- that he'll
come home from school all bummed out because he has no idea what everyone's
talking about. Sure, there are worse things in the world, but I remember how
awful it is to be ostracized as a little kid and would hope to set him up
for as little as possible. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to cave
in, either....

so I can hope that we'll have at least a
couple more years before we have to decide on whether we're going to
have any formal rules or anything. My hope is we won't need to, of
course, since I agree that forbidding TV will probably only make it
more attractive. I'd prefer to restrict TV simply by offering more
interesting things to do. :-)

That's got to be the way to do it. The kids I've known that watch hours &
hours each day do it because their parents are totally uninvolved. You
probably know the type -- people that seem to think their kids are like
housecats, far more autonomous than they really are.

(HollyLewis) wrote in message ...

My hope is
we won't need to, of course, since I agree that forbidding TV will probably
only make it more attractive. I'd prefer to restrict TV simply by offering
more interesting things to do. :-)

That was half of my master plan. The other half of my master plan
(pre marriage and kid) was to have a somewhat crummy TV in a
non-central part of the house so that it took a real degree of
interest and some effort to go watch it. When I suggested to DH that
once we had kids we could chuck his nice big TV and get something
lousy instead, he told me I was completely out to lunch. Oh well!

The variation from kid to kid is remarkable though. Neither my
brother nor I were ever restricted. In 5th grade I watched a lot of
TV, and ever since I watch so little that I miss a fair number of
cultural references based on TV ads. My brother was and is a TV
junkie.

Kate
and the Bug, 9 months

Deirdre wrote:

I just REALLY don't want DS to end up with a brain
full of nonsense thanks to non-stop crap kids programs. I'm sure I'm
not alone.

Nope, not alone :-). I don't really worry about content. My concern is
what TV watching does to attention. Everything jumps around so fast and
moves from subject to subject. No real thought is put into anything. Lots
of it has laugh tracks...you don't even have to figure out if it is funny on
your own.


--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

"Nikki" wrote in message ...
Deirdre wrote:

Not to be fatalistic or anything, but I suppose a certain degree of
fascination is inevitable... At least in our house, anyway.

I'm having a dull moment because I'm not exactly sure what you mean by that,
lol.

Not all kids care about TV though. My oldest was over 4 before he gave a
hoot about TV. My dh is a total TV addict so has it on all the time. He
actually encourages then to watch TV now that he is with them during the
days. :-P My younger son has liked it a lot more from the very beginning
and would watch a cartoon as early as 15mos. He actually watched them
before the older one did.

They watch more in the winter. I do notice a difference in behavior if they
watch to much. At this point I'm sure they watch more then most of the kids
of the parents on this list but probably average for my real life friends.


My 4 year old dd watches a fair bit of tv between her pbs shows and
her dog videos. She did like it early on with her baby einstein
videos. My 9 month old is currently uninterested unless someone is
singing on tv. She does occasionally look at the tv during American
Idol and Star Search LOL.

KC