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Kids: TV Time

Tlaloc

Tlaloc

Member
Mostly for the other stay at home parents that might be here, but for anyone.

So what do you think for TV time for the kids? Usually I have morning TV time while I make breakfast and do the cleaning they cant help with, and have evening TV time when Anndrea has ceramics at night and its a long day with the kids. The earlier I do because I wake up slowly, and it much easier to get some things done without the kids tailing me around. The latter simply because I'm very tired around the tenth straight hour of watching kids. Morning TV time tends to be longer in the winter because there is no trip to the park before noon.

Usually they watch either on demand kids shows, or something on DVD, I don't like commercials, and I like to be able to control what they are watching.

What are other policies for kids TV time? What is thought to be too much?
 
We fast from TV sometimes. Everyone adapts quickly to living without it. If I was really strong I would fast from my cell phone..ha! Board games anyone?
 
We love board games, but the kids are too little for anything but the fishing game and hungry hippo's. In the middle of summer we go away and there is no TV there, so I guess its a seasonal habit. More in winter, less in spring and fall, very little in the summer (just when we come home to do the garden)
 
I grew up on TV and computer. God took those away from me and reduced me to nothing. I got saved. TV is no good, really. Even these days, when I do watch it, it does no good... only bad... and it's not like the news on it is worth much of anything anyway.

I do much better without these things, and so do children. What do kids need? They need their parents to do what they used to do... send them out during the day and call them back for mealtimes and bedtime. You don't learn responsibility or strength by being cooped up in front of a TV or computer. You learn to live when you go out into the real world. That is where children belong.

I was TV free for 4 and a half years. I had TV again for 2 months. I don't have TV again now. I'm very happy about that.

Your kids may not like it, and you may not like it either... but TV is simply a guilty pleasure... and a poison in your household. No matter what you do it screams a doctrine you can't control to children who learn from it.

TV time is best reduced to zero. Trust me, they may not like it, but it's what's best for everyone.
 
While Sadan's post SOUNDS extreme, I have to second it. Entirely.

I'm not saying to throw the machine out. If you get a sermon or seminar on video, and want to bring it out for such use on occasion, go for it. But for general entertainment, my experience has been absolutely: the less, the better.

I read both child psychology and adolescent psychology textbooks a while back, and neither one mentioned a developmental task for those periods that would be in any way enhanced by recreational TV viewing. Nor was the childhood malady of TV Deficiency mentioned.

To the contrary. Some of the best child psychologists are now recommending no TV if possible, but at least limit it to no more than 2 hours PER WEEK. The only one who I can imagine being benefited in the long term by children spending time in front of the TV are the Government Indoctrination Stations euphemistically known as "schools". They like kids to be accustomed to living life passively!

Also to the contrary, time spent in front of the TV is time lost to the very real developmental tasks that SHOULD be mastered during these times.
 
CecilW said:
Also to the contrary, time spent in front of the TV is time lost to the very real developmental tasks that SHOULD be mastered during these times.
Click to expand...
I look back at my life and see this completely. I'm glad we see eye to eye. At least I learned eloquent reading and writing from computers. I learned nothing from TV, and see a huge gap in my childhood training because of all the time I spent with it. However, the time I spent climbing trees and doing other things outside as a child... THAT was real life. THAT is what you learn from.

I also had some Childcraft books. Now there's something to replace TV with. I loved those things... though TV and video games were much more favored. That's why I can't build a submarine or tell you what tree a specific leaf fell off of.
 
Growing up in the 70's and 80's we were outside almost all the time. We watched the "Brady Bunch" and "Partridge Family" and a few others, but mostly we took time out from outside to watch those shows. We played football in the streets, chased lightning bugs, played hide and seek, tag and kick the can. We had to remember to come in from playing outside to do our chores before mom and dad got home from work. We actually wore out our winter clothes from sledding and snowball fights.

I miss those days, when it was as natural to be outside as it is now to be a couch potato. I read a lot and I still do. With school and work, I don't have a lot of time for TV. In fact, I just hooked my big TV up to my computer to see how I like the great big monitor. It probably won't last but it is kind of cool.

SweetLissa
 
Its much less useful in the summer, in the winter some choice shows arn't going to be a problem. But yes, less is certainly better overall.
 
Currently staying at home with the kids means t.v. It is the only reality for keeping me sane until a spouse gets home. I put a dvd on in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, pray and meditate and then cook breakfast. and this is all in the peaceful moments of only my voice in my head instead of all three of ours (our son and daughter's).

Then we do projects like playdough, coloring, sewing, practicing handwriting, the alphabet etc. After that it's a trip to the beach with lunch or to the indoor playground. Selfishly I have them play there for a couple of hours and by time we get home they are both ready for a nap. They snooze til afternoon, I wake them up, snack and then no t.v. unless there is a baseball game or a fun family show (which by the way, those don't happen very often).

I grew up on t.v. and I turned out very well i think.

I think as long as children know t.v. is a privilege and not a right they will do just fine with any amount of time. of course if you feel uncomfortable about the amount of time, it might be appropriate to fast for one or two mornings.
 
I call it devilvision. I got rid of my television back in 2000 and it was the best thing I ever did to help me manage my time in a righteous way. It can really destroy the time we have and the ideas presented, even on Christian stations, are often wicked.

You are what you eat.
 
I grew up without tv.I did not miss anything! But i also grew up on a small farm. NOT saying that i dont enjoy a good movie from time to time.Especially when i sit down to quilt. Our children think it is just the worse thing on earth right now that we dont have it. Without tv they get creative. Our 13 yr old is always wanting to help me cook meals etc.and the girls are taking more interest in sewing, cooking , and reading more. It does make for a more peaceful home!! And they listen to more music. It is nice to say let the children run outside, but we dont always live in a place that we can do that .

Cindy
 
amen girl,
thats how i feel that it should look
 
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