Let's Talk about TV

Ask any parent about what shows their kids watch and your bound to get a wide range of answers.  Some will say they don't allow their kids to watch anything and others will think it's crazy that you limit TV at all.  So where does the Homeschooled Housewife fall in this category?  Probably right in the middle.

We limit the amount of time our son spends watching TV.

We monitor the shows he watches.

We do not allow programs that exhibit poor character.

When he was younger we were huge fans of the Disney Channel.  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Winnie the Pooh: Super Sleuths were his personal favorites.  This was also the time of Little Einsteins.  Brilliant!  As a Mother, I loved letting my son watch this show.  Little Einsteins taught him about classical music and art as well as teamwork.  There were no strict limits as far as actual time goes but we made sure he didn't spend his entire day plugged into the screen.  And since he was the type of toddler to get easily distracted, he didn't want to sit in front of the television for longer then one or 2 shows each day.

Now he's 8 and the programs for his age group are much different.  We've officially entered the "tween show" category and let me just say- I'm less then impressed.  The Disney Channel is no longer an acceptable option in our home.  We found that many of the shows featured on this channel exhibit disrespectful behavior towards adults and parents.  Spend 30 minutes watching Shake It Up and you'll understand what I'm talking about.  Eh- or maybe you won't....

So what does he watch?

My son LOVES this show!

Well from the day he was born, we've had a strict afternoon nap time.  As he's gotten older, it's no longer nap time but "quiet time".  I find that as a working, homeschooling Mom- we both need the afternoon break from each other.  It's during this time that William watches his TV for the day.  He has an ancient TV set up in his bedroom that is not connected to cable and it's here that he watches a movie that we've picked out together from the library.  Old Tom & Jerry cartoons, Brady Bunch, Bewitched, Transformers, holiday themed movies like Prancer or Spooky Buddies- you get the idea.

Many nights we will also end our day by watching Jeopardy together as a family after dinner.  And there is one sitcom that we all watch together on Wednesday nights- The Middle.

I'm sure as he gets older, there will be a few more television shows in the evenings that we will watch together.  And sometimes on the weekends he will watch The Animal Planet or National Geographic- but for now, that's it.

Now I realize for some of you- this may seem drastic.  And other's are probably still hung up on the fact that my son has a TV set in his bedroom- even if its not connected to cable.  I get it....media and electronics are always going to be a hot button among parents.  This is what works for our child and our family.

The great thing about parenting is that we don't all have to make the same choices.  This is simply our choice and for now, we are happy with it.