TV with Mom

I wish I could remember what we watched! But whatever it was, it looks like we were having fun!

Some Thoughts on TV

1. We never turned on the TV before school. This rule worked well for us in our house to allow our brains to focus on the day ahead and deal with whatever last minute thing we meant to do but forgot to do, so were forced to do in the 20 minutes before the bus came.
2. Some families have rules that if you read for half an hour, you can watch TV for half an hour. I love this! I never did it because Will was already a fan of reading and I didn’t want it to start to feel like a chore, but in my heart, I kind of want to be the mom who makes you read as much or more than you watch TV.
3. I know that sports on TV count as TV, but I usually counted it more as family time for us.  I’m sure that’s a controversial stance.
4. I am documentary obsessed.  I think documentaries for kids are a wonderful way to learn and be exposed to things we might not ordinarily see. Little Mammouth  Media makes some that are narrated by kids and are particularly well done. They have titles like, The Big Zoo, The Big Hotel, The Big Airshow, etc… Because we are now old, when my kids were little, we borrowed the DVDs from the library.  I’m sure they’re available to stream now.
5. If your kids are at all anxious, I have to recommend Mr. Rogers.  The old shows, the ones that we watched, are truly as close to perfection as TV for kids can get. 
6. Common Sense Media is a website you can use if you want to be cautious about what your kids are exposed to on TV (tv shows, movies and video games). Both parents and kids rate the content and give you specifics so you can make an informed decision.