5 reasons your kids should watch TV

I am about to lose membership in the Christian blogosphere. Or at least lose the merit badge that goes with revealing your family doesn't own a TV or if it does, you don't have cable and only let your kids watch 30 minutes a week. Confession: We have a TV. We have a satellite with DVR. We love it.

Before I tell you why we love TV, there must be DISCLAIMERS: TV needs to be used with caution, with limits and with responsibility. TV is not a babysitter.  Kids who watch too much TV turn into lazy potatoes and perform poorly in school. Sitting too close to the TV will ruin your eyesight. Money spent on TV services could be spent on charity. TV is a dangerous device and must be used with parental controls.

Disclaimer done. Now, here's 5 reasons we love our TV with DVR. 

Watching TV while hosting some of the orphans when we were in Honduras

1) My kids only watch what I record. My kids have no idea there is a TV schedule so they only watch what I record. And I record quality! They don't even know we get over 100 channels or whatever the lowest package is. Every few weeks, I browse the listings, pick what we want our kids to watch and record. Current shows that we record: Little House on the Prairie, The Brady Brunch, Word Girl, America's Test Kitchen (yes, they like to watch this show), Arthur and Stan Lee's Superhuman.

2) Having access to TV but practicing wisdom with choices is a great life skill.  When my girls come home from school whining that they are the ooo-nn--lllyy  ones who don't watch SpongeBob Squarepants or Wizards of Waverly Place, I can actually go watch the shows. Sometimes I report back with reasons they still can't watch the show. Somehow, my effort to consider their wishes makes it all better.  Sometimes we watch half or all of an episode together. So far, such group viewings always result in a great conversation and agreement on why the show isn't on our list.

3) Commercial education is important. Everything we watch is on DVR so we skip all commercials. When we get sidetracked and commercials come on, my kids are marketer savvy because I've trained them. I've taught them about how marketers can lie, spruce up, or enhance appearances of people and products. They've experienced a cool toy commercial and then bought the not-so-cool toy. We've watched part of infomercials and talked about how some are true and some, especially beauty or vitamin products, can find experts to pay to endorse their products. Commercial education is important.

4) TV can encourage passions. Our family loves soccer. We used our DVR last summer to record all of the women's World Cup games. We analyzed strategies and shots. We had fun times with friends watching those games. I loved that my girls could watch female atheletes!

My youngest loves to cook. Sometimes we watch cooking shows with her to get inspiration. All of us are learning together.

Cousins. Watching TV. 

5) TV can create good memories. Okay. I know this statement is sounds blasphemous. But it is true. I love time spent together watching the Brady Brunch, laughing hard at Alice, and discussing the foolishness of Marsha's constant crushes. Curling up on the couch with popcorn while we watch a recorded Soul Surfer, holding hands through the shark attack and smiling weakly at each other through tears--those are sweet memories. After viewings, conversations often continue for weeks as we research new people or things or refer back to TV characters and their jokes or mistakes. We spend time with our girls in many other ways. But we do enjoy our TV.

So, go grab your kids on the next rainy day and watch TV!

Media Rules from a Media Skeptic

I love my idea bag full. Knowing how other moms handle issues helps and inspires me. We might not have the family-ality to duplicate each other, but sharing spurs us on toward the goal.  

This morning I want you to meet my friend Belinda.  Belinda is busy raising 3 princesses and a very young prince. She is disciplined and wise and you would want her kids to be be friends with yours. 

To spur you on, I asked Belinda to share something that works for her family. She chose technology. I've written about my fear of technology before and about the new email system we are trying. Here Belinda explains her technology philosophy. Don't forget to leave her a comment to thank her for sharing! 

“Let's punch Captain Crunch and then we'll eat his face for lunch...”  This song has been popping up around my house for a couple weeks, ever since I allowed my kids to watch a “Fred” Youtube video.  I confess I don't really get Youtube, but I never was much of a fan of America's Funniest Home Videos either, so it's probably just me.  However, funny videos, computer games, TV and social networking are the reality of growing up in America today.

For me, the computer is a machine, a tool to get tasks done and make my life (mostly) easier.  Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of times it distracts me from things I should be doing.  For my kids, though, the computer is not a tool but an avenue for entertainment.  I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons.  Now my kids have multiple dedicated cartoon channels to choose from 24/7, plus videos on demand.  I might be called a media skeptic.  Their world is media saturated.

As parents, we walk a fine line between sheltering from and introducing our kids to the greater world.  There's a part of me that wants to keep them innocent and clueless forever.  But in reality, I would be doing them a disservice.  It's my responsibility to guide them in making appropriate choices now so they can navigate the world on their own, equipped with a healthy sense of skepticism. 

While my pediatrician recommends no more than 1-2 hours of screen time per day, our standards are a little different, closer to 1-2 hours per week.  Limiting the amount of screen time is our first approach in dealing with media in our family.  My philosophy is that kids should be using their own imaginations and bodies as much as possible.  Twenty minutes of downtime for my 4 year old is plenty.  The older kids just don't have that much time for TV or computer after they are done with playing, homework, dinner and chores.  We don't have a hard and fast rule, I think because we don't need one.  They don't ask all the time, so I don't have to set firm limits.

Second, we rarely watch live TV.  This eliminates commercials and the “gimme” mentality they can foster.  It also reduces the amount of time they're watching a show.  In addition, they are watching shows we've judged as ok.  This is trickier with the computer, as an innocent click can lead to all kinds of content that would make adults blush.  We have a two part approach to that issue -- make use of parent filter software, and keep the TV and computer in a public place.

Finally, we keep the lines of communication open.  Isn't this key to most of parenting?  I try to watch shows with them.  I ask them what they think about inappropriate behavior they see on TV.  We talk about what to do at a friend's house if something is on that makes them uncomfortable.  Our “save face” strategy is that they can say, “I forgot I need to call my mom.”  When they call, I can tell them they need to come home and I can be the bad guy.

As technology evolves, new questions come up that call for new strategies.  For now, I'm comfortable with our relationship with media.  But I have a feeling I'll be watching a lot more Youtube videos.