A book about TV viewing & children

One of my biggest concerns (a.k.a. obsessions) with our girls has been TV. We waited until they were almost 2 to let them watch anything on the TV. At 28 months old, we are still very selective and only let them watch very little. We record the shows we like and that we think are age appropriate and these are the only ones they watch right now.

In case anyone is interested, I recently bought a book called "The Elephant in the Living Room".

Here is the Product Description:

The nation’s top child development experts examine the effects of television on children and their groundbreaking research will startle many
Television is the "elephant in the living room" of our culture. American children watch television an average of 3 hours per day, and many parents sheepishly concede that they rely on television as an electronic babysitter. But TV is not necessarily harmful to kids. The authors present groundbreaking scientific evidence that television can be a powerful and effective tool—for entertainment, for education, and for socialization.

The secret is for parents to learn how to use television as a tool, not a crutch. With a detailed explanation of the effects of television viewing on kids’ emotional, mental, and physical development, plus tips to enable parents to act on this new knowledge, they’ll soon be able to turn TV into a positive force in their child’s life.


I haven't read the entire thing yet but I wanted to recommend it to those of you who may want to read more about TV and the effects that it has on our children.

Here is a link to it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Living-Room...6250&sr=8-3

 

That sounds very interesting. Keep us posted!! I like that they aren't saying it's ALLLLLLL bad.

 

I was a communication major in college (currently work in radio not tv) and the conclusion about television was always 'some television is harmful to some children some of the time'.

I too did not let my children watch television until they were 2 and even then it was just these Kidsongs videos we had been given as hand me downs from Nana. Eventually they began to watch some of the PBS/Playhouse Disney shows, I am not against television. I know my children learn tons from the programs we watch, it is just like anything else in life where moderation and good judgment are key.

 

I think it's the same as anything "bad" in life... everything in moderation is the rule I follow. My boys watch one to two shows a day (25 minute shows) one in the morning so I can get dressed and one at night before bed. We do the one at night moreso because my son Alex has to have neublizer treatments every night and that is the only way he will sit still.. I have to admit there has been days where I've turned it on way more than I usually do or should... it's just been one of those days where they aren't feeling good and just want to sit on my lap and veg. I figure as long as those are few and far between it's all good...

 

i am also going to wait until they are two--as per every reserach study and article i have heard about. however, i have always wondered what the heck i'd let them watch when they do turn 2! this sounds like a great resource. thanks for sharing!

~~jl

ps: ok,i have to amend this. my kids have seen some tv, come to think of it. the tv was on last year during the world series, the basketball championships, and then a few weeks ago for obama's inaugural. however, they didn't pay attention to any of it, lol!

 

That's a great book, and I can honestly say that my older two did not watch TV until they were two. I have to say though, the more kids you have, the harder it gets, especially on the days that they don't nap at the same time

 

Thank you for posting this. I have always felt like I was on one side of the line while on the other side of the line there are thousands of parents shaking a finger at me with a look of disgust in their eyes (do you see the visual?).

I have always been an advocate for television. I grew up watching morning cartoons and sesame street and coming straight home and watching more cartoons and then watching some shows at night. Maybe not when I was a baby (my life was a little crazy then) but definitely as I got older, tv was a huge part of my life. My father was a single father raising me in a big city and I'm sure tv was a saving grace for him to not go too crazy with the stresses of life and raising a daughter on his own. And you know what? I went to school, got decent grades, went to college and even got a masters...in EDUCATION . Has tv affected my life in a negative way? Nope. I have lots of friends and did growing up. As with everything in life, there has to be a balance. I was even a huge video game junkie as a kid (remember Atari and Intelevision?)

From the day my girls were born and I was a sahm with no family or friends in my new neighborhood, tv saved my life from the stresses of being on my own with two babies and now toddlers until dh got home from work everyday. I truly believe that it is about the quality of television that you choose for your child and NOT the quantity or the age of when they are introduced. I'm not knocking those who chose or choose to not let their kids watch tv but I can't stand when parents knock my choice to expose my kids to it. I have always been extremely selective in what my kids watch. I have always chosen programs that have some sort of educational or social value to it. My kids have never seen Sponge Bob and I don't intend to let them watch that for a few more years but that is not to say that I would ever put another parent down who lets their kids watch it. If their kids love it and it gives them 30 minutes to have some down time...I AM ALL FOR THAT!

My girls are extremely advanced in academic knowledge and social skills and I attribute much of that to television. Of course as an educator, I had some say in it but there are just a million more things that television, through it's music and colorful shows and vibrant characters, has been able to offer my kids that I couldn't quite fit into their day.

And most of all, as it probably did with my dad, television saved my sanity from the difficulties of raising young kids with no family support. I think, with television used properly, it truly is a learning and social tool and a huge sanity saver.

 

I could have written parts of the pp ... I too am a SAHM and sometimes for my sanity I need to just be able to hear an adult voice. Both my dh and I watch a fair amount of T.V. -- I think he really grew up on T.V. !! At 15 months most of it is colour, lights, but since I'm not much of a talker ... I think it helps them to hear other voices and conversations. I think not having family close by causes me to rely more on the T.V. for entertainment sometimes. I have found so many things that they have learned have come from watching their kids shows. They watch "in the night garden" (a better form of the teletubbies) and I see my daughter kissing her sister or both of them attempting to kick up their legs and dance...

I guess not having grandparents close-by I find my kids don't get that exposure to learning different things from different people. T.v. has become a bit of that outlet for them.

I have noticed when these types of threads on T.v. are posted that most posts are from moms who DON'T let their kids watch T.v. and I wonder if it is a bit of a closet guilt... so many mothers not wanting to really admit that "yes I do let my kids watch T.v.".

 

QUOTE(double-or-nothing @ Mar 1 2009, 09:21 AM) [snapback]1209966[/snapback]
I went to school, got decent grades, went to college and even got a masters...in EDUCATION . Has tv affected my life in a negative way? Nope.


Being the daughter of a single mom, I also watched a ton of tv growing up, and I got terrific grades and even got a doctorate!

I have the tv on quite a bit and my girls watch a little here and there. They mostly pay attention when there is music playing and they get up and start dancing. I really don't think it's a big deal. They seem to be doing just fine and don't look like zombies in front of the tv when it's on.

 

Well, mine watched baby einstein every morning while we got ready for work.... They learned sign language from it. We always have the TV on, but a lot of times its just for backround noise. They watch Mickey Mouse and Back-yardigans in the car all the time and on saturday mornings. They look really cute doing the Hot Dog dance!

I don't think TV is BAD, my kids seem pretty smart, talk more than a lot of 4 yr olds we know (they are 2 by the way) and overall seem like pretty balanced kids....