Does anyone feel guilty about how much tv you let your kids watch? For a long time my daughter didn't watch any tv, but now that we've let her (still try to limit it), she loves it!
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We don't have a tv, so we are forced to set up a computer to stream, which makes their screen time a whole lot more intentional. When their show ends, there's not another one on after... So it's very limited.
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Not at all, DD is a very active child and she will not sit and watch for hours. She actually prefers to read books than watch her ipad... sometimes we have to ask her to just watch her ipad so we can a break. I think if DD was sitting in front of the TV for HOURS at a time I would be concerned.
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No. I don't feel guilty for one second. In the morning he watches Thomas and Sesame Street. At night, sometimes he watches, sometimes he doesn't. Last night he was whining SO much and I was trying to get stuff done and I just popped Sofia the First on and it's like I pulled the plug on the whining.
DH and I LOVE television so I see nothing wrong with letting LO watch.
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@hotchildinthecity: Exactly this. Hubs and I love watching tv, and have our whole lives. I think I'm a pretty intelligent, well-rounded individual. I don't personally feel that tv has rotted my brain. Do I let him sit and watch tv for hours on end? No. Does he watch an episode or 2 or Daniel Tiger when I'm trying to get something done or need a moment of peace? Yup. No guilt whatsoever.
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Nope, I have none!
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Eh, sometimes. He watches up to an hour a day. He is the kind of kid who would watch a whole movie if I let him. But he's also very bright and active so I'm not too worried. He doesn't play on an iPad though and that is something I want to avoid as long as possible.
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I do feel guilty about it sometimes. She doesn't watch very much, usually one episode of Daniel tiger while I get ready in the morning, but then sometimes another one later on when I just need a break. She talks to it now and calls out things she recognizes so I feel a little better. I know it's not doing serious long term harm or anything, but yeah, I do feel guilt. Also I am typing this sitting next to her while she watches.
I dvr Daniel tiger so I can just put it on when I want it, and it stops at the end, so no smooth transition into another episode.
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Maybe a little. On hectic mornings, he might watch 15-20minutes and every evening, he watches 20-30minutes. And some nights we will snuggle and watch a movie at bedtime, so another 30+.
We both WOH FT and we have to get ready in the morning and get dinner cooked in the evenings, so it is what it is. It's not like all he does is watch tv.
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Nope. I put M in the pnp and get stuff done while he watches the Wiggles.
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I do. He's only 7.5 months but he's starting to get clingier and sometimes I just need to use the bathroom or eat something before I pass out. And putting something on for 15 mins will calm him down since it distracts him. I don't put on specific things at specific times, I use it when I need it.
I do feel guilty because it has increased in the last couple of weeks...but it's still less than an hour total all day, so I probably shouldn't beat myself up over it.
Mom guilt. It's real. -
lately I have felt a little guilty. we were NOT SMART and recorded all the daniel tigers onto our DVR. now he requests them all the time and knows they are available....and when sick might watch like...SIX in a row! but with a 102-104 fever I would just want to lay on the couch too so I'm trying not to feel too bad.
we also sit with him while he watches (95% of the time) and he talks about what he sees and has picked up quite a few new words..
that said I would like to cut a little more out of our day to day & hopefully will be able to now that its not freezing and snowy and we can get out of the house.
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I was feeling guilty when I was in the worst of my morning sickness, and turning it on almost right when we got home each night and leaving it on for 1-2 hours.
As soon as I was feeling better, I cut down the TV time *a lot*. Now we try to go play or run errands every single day after work--and then I only turn on a show for her if she's already had some running-around time and I need to cook and she's feeling clingy. But I've succeeded in cutting it down by 1-1.5 hours a day, so not I feel really good about the amount she gets.
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Not for a second. My husband and I have really dialed our mix of active and passive recreations in a way that makes us super happy, and I feel comfortable with the mix we've achieved for our daughter. We watch cartoons for up to an hour in the morning, which is honestly one of my favorite parts of the day. It gives us all a chance to wake up, and eat our toast slowly, etc. I love it. Then some nights we watch a little more in the evening, although lately we just go out for a long walk or something.
Tv is great, if you use it in positive, controlled ways.
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I feel guilty but conflicted. I would rather her get out ENERGY outside, but with my back/hip issues and pregnancy right now it's not always feasible for me. I love seeing her learn things from the TV, and see her personality (characters she likes) but I know it doesn't wear her out like a park.
I figure as long as it's not Real Housewives I'm doing ok.
Not to say that she hasn't seen a few RH episodes.......
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@charlotte: STORY OF MY LIFE. We recorded Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because she loved it, and now when she's cranky it's MINNIE! MINNIE! MINNIE! If/when we switch cable providers I'm screwed.
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Nope not really! I used to, but now that he's older and involved in lots of enriching activities, I don't sweat the hour of tv he gets.
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Not at all and she watches a lot of TV. She has learned SO much from the shows she watches and it helps me get stuff done since I solo parent a LOT and we live in a tiny apartment with not a lot of room to run around.
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I was feeling pretty guilty this winter by the amount she was watching, but there wasn't much more to do! Now that it's nicer out, we go to the park every day after work instead of coming home and watching TV, but she still watches a 30 mins-1 hour a day and I do not feel guilty about it- everyone needs a break to just relax!
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@kjpugs: hahaha. It's awful. "Watch Daniel. One mo Daniel." He fell asleep murmuring "one more Daniel" the other night.
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I do feel guilty, because there is always a power struggle when it's time to transition and do something else.
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Nope and my kid has many hours of electronic devices. Mostly because guilt isn't worth it. This is what works for him and us. And I see him learning and it helps his speech and language because he will tell us about the shows. This kid did all 24 levels of a programming game aimed at kindergartners (the foos) by himself.
He does preschool so I know he gets lots of playtime in. And he can play with toys at home. But I admit I love that I can pass him the iPad and he will stay calm for car rides, dr appts, and adult meetings as necessary.
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My lo isn't old enough to really watch tv yet, but I watched a lot as a child, although I was also super active and played outside lots. I think I'll really struggle with whether or not to limit it when she's older. Although we only have bunny ears so that will probably help!
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ehhhhh there are bigger ways to fuck up your kids, IMO. If you're just using it as a second babysitter and plopping them in front of it all day, every day, yeah that's less than ideal. But i love sitting on the couch, snuggling with E, and watching Mickey Mouse with her. it's not like she's a lifeless blob all day
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Not really, she watches 30-60 minutes a day, depending on what else we are doing.
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Yeah, my daughter is really active too and would much rather run around and play outside. For some reason, though, it's hard for me not to feel a little guilty. Maybe because sometimes she will constantly ask to watch "George, George, George,..." and has been known to throw a fit if she can't watch it. I watched quite a bit of tv too as a child and was still pretty active, and I don't think it really affected me in a negative way. Yes, mom guilt definitely is real.
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I do... It's already rather limited (only a few shows on the weekends) but she LOVES it so much it freaks me out how strong of an influence it has on her! Every morning she asks me, 'Is it Saturday, so I can watch something??!!!!" Idk why I feel guilty though bc overall I think she does learn from the shows and gets a LOT of play, outdoor time, etc.
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I only do on days we're stuck inside because of weather or when he's sick. Like this week he had a really bad cold and his first ear infection and watched way more tv/iPad than I would like (he's almost 21 months). In general, he watches maybe 20 minutes in the morning of one of his DVDs but it's a speech dvd called baby babble and he learned a lot of words from it so I don't feel as guilty about it. Then maybe a few 5 minute educational videos/songs on the iPad. In general though we try to get out of the house every morning so he doesn't watch too much.
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And yes, mom guilt is definitely the worst! I can't tell you how many times I over analyze during the day if we've done enough activities or fun things
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I do sometimes. It's not because I think TV is bad, I just feel bad that she's watching TV instead of spending time with me or DH. Sometimes we'll be out running errands or doing activities on the weekend and we'll get home and I'll let her watch a show and I feel guilty because I feel like I should be playing with her since I work all week. She rarely watches TV during the week, though, so I guess it balances out.
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Nope! I think there are worse things for her. I know she is learning from them. Even when Mickey is one, there are times she just walks away and starts playing.
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I could write a book about how great Curious George is, too. That's most of what my daughter watches. The scientific concepts she's learned from the show are just astounding. Just yesterday she was lecturing me on the water cycle and how water goes from the sewer to the waste treatment plant to the ocean etc etc. I just love it.
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@changingtides: My kid throws a fit if i don't let her eat 5,000 bananas or an entire jar of peanut butter, but hey, that doesn't necessarily mean i will or won't let her do those things
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@kjpugs: If you have an ipad you can download Watch Disney Jr, Watch PBS kids and they have the episodes there.
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I don't feel guilty about it at all. MY DH is gone 4-5 days a week. And I work full-time. So for me I know that if I turn on the tv he will sit there and eat his snack or breakfast while I get ready for work. I made it a treat for him. He takes a blanket and puts it on the floor in our bedroom and has a "picnic". This way he is close enough that I can hear him and know that he's okay while I get ready. In the evenings I put him in the living room and he sits there and watches it while I get dinner ready. Run a load of dishes or laundry etc. It's the only way that I can get things done by myself.
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ZERO guilt here for TV time- I refuse to be guilted into something that doesn't work for us. Some days they watch less or almost none, some days they watch more, it just depends on what is going on. I've really never followed the "no screen time rule" because it just doesn't suit us. They aren't a tv zombie with drool coming out of their mouths, they are active, happy, and they don't act out. If I see red flags, I'll modify our system, but it works for us and I can get things done. Ultimately they almost never make it through even one show without getting distracted and going to play.
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I used to feel guilty about screen time but not anymore. He usually just watches a couple shows in the morning either while little sis naps or while I'm getting us all ready to head out in the morning. we had to cut screen time in the evening because it was turning him into a little trantruming monster when it was time to take it away. And some days he definitely watches a lot of TV, but whatever. He does a lot of other activities so I"m not worried about it.
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@turkeylurkey: We often have a breakfast picnic in front of our morning cartoons. Man, one of my favorite parts of the day. On weekends when we're totally unrushed we sometimes go really wild and watch 3 episodes of Curious george while we eat our toast. Then we take a long bath and go wake daddy up. Seriously, I look forward to that ritual all week. My daughter snuggles up with me and discourses on the various things questions and observations she has about what she's seeing, and it's just adorable.
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