I’ve been trying a little experiment this week. I’ve stopped suggesting to the kids that they go watch videos. If they come and ask me, I’ll happily turn them on, but I’m not allowed to sugguest it. I’ve discovered two things:
1. the kids are watching a lot less T.V.
2. It’s hard not to suggest watching a video when I want them occupied.
These realizations make me wonder about the reported hours of television that kids are watching these days. Parents moan and groan about how they wish their kids would do something else, but how many of them are like me? How many parents are unconsciously the instigators of their kids’ veiwing addictions? If we had cable television I suspect this experiment would have turned out differently because there would always be the allure of something new to be seen. As it is, the kids have seen everything we own multiple times and are fairly content to do something else instead. Yet another reason I’m really glad we don’t have cable, or dish, or even broadcast TV.
Our kids were only allowed set shows to watch. CyberChase and Between the Lions on school days. During the weekend they were allowed an hour of cartoons a day. It worked out pretty well. It meant that I got the television to watch shows I wanted to like Good Eats with Alton Brown and Junkyard Wars and Changing Rooms and Ground Force and West Wing and 24.
When we only had the DVD and VCR, they watched a lot more but a part of that was that the youngest two were in the Again! phase and the other part was we finally got the Magic SchoolBus videos.
Now, they spend a lot of time with computer games and books. Too cold to go out and play anymore. There was snow yesterday.
This is the other reason I don’t have a dish!
I usually suggest that, if they can’t find something to do, I’ll find them something to do. Since that always involves work, usually cleaning, they have learned to find something to do on their own, mostly. I do suggest to Emily that she work on her sewing project, her weaving project or play in the yard (swing, sandbox, sidewalk chalk, jumprope… it’s not a horrible suggestion here). And on school nights, she’s not allowed to watch anything at all after I get home from work.