I am wondering if TV is as bad as they say. They say no tv at all under two. Well, my daughter loves sesame street. She won't watch anything else. Elmo gets up and dances, she gets up and dances. The "Count" counts, she counts. Abby sings, she babbles along. So how could something that is helping her learn be bad?
Let me also say that I don't just plop her in front of the tv and say, "watch!". I have toys everywhere and am always playing, reading, and having fun with my girls. I get up and dance with Elmo, help her keep beat, count, and say her ABCs, she is up to G. :)
So I think TV is all how you use it. If you're using it to babysit your child, something is wrong there, but using it as a way to get exercise on a hot day outside, and using it to sing, dance, and learn can't be bad.
I think some shows are Superior to others in this way. Obviously Sesame street is a great show, or it wouldn't have lasted 42 years. I watched it when I was a kid, and learned a lot from it from what I remember. Some shows, such as Dora and Blue's Clues are also great for learning, and some aren't. Spongebob isn't exactly learning.
Most of the time the TV is background noise for us. Unless it's Elmo. I think there is nothing wrong with thirty minutes of educational tv. I know when Caelin was Belle's age, she wasn't allowed to watch TV, because all I had read. With your next kid, you're always a little different. A little less stressed, a little more lenient, and a lot more knowledgeable. Izzy didn't scare me like Cae did. I knew what to do. I can't wait to have more adventures today with my girls!
Mothering is NOT the most difficult job, as many say. My husband works 50+ hours a week in the hot sun, busting his butt in construction for not enough money. He works harder. However, when he gets home he RELAXES, something this mom never does. I don't stop running around, changing diapers, feeding, cleaning, cooking, playing, teaching or entertaining. It is a lot harder than you think. It is the longest, most demanding job. I work 18 hour days with no pay. However, there is the reward of realizing you're raising smart, amazing girls. Which is priceless.
As Caelin talks up a storm and points things out in her books, I realize it's me that taught her that. She is ahead of her age group because I've read to her twice a day everyday of her life, and I continue this with her and Belle now. It's because I talk to her like a regular person, not a baby, that she knows so many words. I am proud of them, and myself, and also their amazing daddy, the rock of the family.
So a little TV is A OK with this mommy. I think Mommy always knows best.
Just some ramblings of a full time mom. :)s
