Everyone says that you should not let your child watch television. Everyone says this! Every important group, all the books and magazines and websites. All the other moms. As far as I can tell my kids are the only ones that even know what a TV is. Strange, then, that there are so many children's programs on TV, even entire networks devoted to toddlers. I know that I let Sassy watch too much TV, that it would be much better for me to be taking her to the park or playing tea party or building a model of the solar system with her. The big snag in this vision of responsible parenting bliss is that I also have a baby to take care of and he doesn't really get the concept of waiting for his needs to be met. I completely believe that this is a temporary sanity saver, and that once Handsome is old enough to participate in (or at least not sabotage) educational activities that I will actually start planning some. But am I rotting Sassy's brain in the mean time? She seems to be developing normally. She is smart and social. She rarely asks to watch a show or video and she's been known to turn it off on her own. On the weekends, when Husband is around and there is a one to one ratio, its actually a rarity for the television to be on at all. We don't have TVs in the bedrooms and we read quite a lot. Still I feel like the world is telling me that I'm a bad parent for using the TV as a helpmate during the week when I'm alone with a toddler and a baby. Ultimately, I figure its really a matter of letting her watch TV or losing my mind. I think a sane mother is more important for her long term development than TV is detrimental to it.
- Mama T
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