Ok, so I probably shouldn't get on any 'forums' but I do like to read them(I rarely post) when Aurora is nursing.. anyways, I just read a post that infuriated me. My comments are such that I don't want to start an argument there as it won't change their minds and will cause a needless words war online. Back to the post. A mom was wondering what she needed to bring for a 9month old on a 15 hour car ride. There were a few ideas, but most people said that even for that age they pack a dvd player...REALLY!?! Rora isn't the easiest baby in the car and on our last trip she cried unless I was in the back with her. Yet it never occured to me to turn on a tv show for her. Is the tv really becoming so much of a babysitter that even infants are watching it? How sad is it that our country is turning on the tv and off the parent/child interactions. Is there a wonder why we are so obese? Especially if our kids are already able to sit through a tv show and be intertained at 9 MONTHS OF AGE!!!
Ok, off my soapbox...any thoughts?
ACK. I just typed a very long post and then wasn't able to post it because I still don't understand the choices for selecting a profile so I'm trying again. :( BUT, in a nutshell, I think the tv issue is, like everything else, up to each parent to decide for his/her own child(ren). We view our van DVD player as a God-send rather than an evil, and watching 9 hours of videos on trip to Arkansas or Kentucky has never sent any of our 5 sons to the hospital or fat camp. :) In fact, Baby Ben's neurologist has had us playing Baby Einstein DVDs for at least an hour per day since he was born. :) I've NEVER gone to the back of the van with any of my kids; we just turn up the "Mormon Music," pop in a Baby Bach, pass back the string cheese and pretzels, or pull over to nurse. :) We're not big on tv watching in our home (we have family night on Fridays and watch a movie then, and William and I may watch one show a week; our boys can usually be found outside on the trampoline or on their bikes, upstairs in their playroom, or lounging on the couch listening to our students play music. :) Like everything else, we have guidelines and expect the children to follow them. As for the fat thing--bah--tv is only one modern marvel that has exacurbated the obesity epedimic in our country and world. Some people never have to fight fat and come from skinny stock, but that doesn't mean they watch less tv. William and I are fat and we are on the go with therapies, doctor appts, school, teaching, et. all more than some skinny parents we know, and we watch very little tv. We just love food, and until we decide to stop eating it, we'll be fat--tv or not. :) At any rate, never question your motherhood, Charsty; God and instinct are leading you down the best path of all. You're a GREAT mom--your daughters are living proof. :) XOXO Rebecca Wortham
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