3 year old is addicted to tv!

[partgypsy]

I have a 3 year old, who is a handful. For the first couple years of her life, it was like tv didn''t exist, wasn''t interested in it at all. Now she is crazy for it. In the morning, in the evening, the mantra "I wanna watch tv I wanna watch tv". We do not have cable so her favorite is watching videos (children''s movies or sets of tv episodes like yo gabba gabba). We allow her to watch 1-2 hours of tv in the morning, and 1-2 hours of tv in the evening, but she would watch all the time if she could. To tell you the truth it is tempting to let her go ahead and watch because otherwise she gets into everything and wears us out, while when she is watching tv, she becomes docile and quiet (except she yells at the commercials "I don''t want this show!").

Early in the morning I woke up to the sound of the tv going. I walk in and she is sitting on the couch, watching a movie. She had -on her own- picked out a dvd, got it in the dvd player and pressed the play button to run the movie though we have never shown her how to do this. I thought her older sister must have done it but no, asked her how she did that and she demonstrated what she did. She was actually very careful taking the dvd in and out.

My question, is this a developmental thing, the interest in tv? Will it wear off when it''s not such a novelty? How much tv is too much tv?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/26/2010 12:47:54 PM
Author:part gypsy
I have a 3 year old, who is a handful. For the first couple years of her life, it was like tv didn''t exist, wasn''t interested in it at all. Now she is crazy for it. In the morning, in the evening, the mantra ''I wanna watch tv I wanna watch tv''. We do not have cable so her favorite is watching videos (children''s movies or sets of tv episodes like yo gabba gabba). We allow her to watch 1-2 hours of tv in the morning, and 1-2 hours of tv in the evening, but she would watch all the time if she could. To tell you the truth it is tempting to let her go ahead and watch because otherwise she gets into everything and wears us out, while when she is watching tv, she becomes docile and quiet (except she yells at the commercials ''I don''t want this show!'').

Early in the morning I woke up to the sound of the tv going. I walk in and she is sitting on the couch, watching a movie. She had -on her own- picked out a dvd, got it in the dvd player and pressed the play button to run the movie though we have never shown her how to do this. I thought her older sister must have done it but no, asked her how she did that and she demonstrated what she did. She was actually very careful taking the dvd in and out.

My question, is this a developmental thing, the interest in tv? Will it wear off when it''s not such a novelty? How much tv is too much tv?

I think kids will always enjoy TV. Entertainment is being fed to them. What''s not to love?

The APA recommends for kids over 2 no more than 1-2 hours of "quality" programming a day. I let my daughter watch one hour a day and I try to watch it with her.

IMHO, if you are letting her watch 4 hours of TV a day (assuming she gets her full 2 hours in the morning and full 2 at night), it''s a bit much. That''s 28 hours of TV a week.

But gosh derned it, that peace and quiet is nice, ain''t it?

 

[E B]

~4 hours of TV a day sounds like a lot for a 3-year-old. I used to babysit a 3-year-old who was allowed one show (20-30 minutes) an evening, and I believe her parents let her watch one in the morning, too. It seemed reasonable to me at the time, and even now, as a parent.

My son is 11 months old and likes to watch TV, but he only sees it in the morning with his Dad while I'm taking a shower and on occasion, when I'm watching something (but he isn't really interested in anything but Yo Gabba Gabba, so it's just on in the background to him). I don't think we'll let him watch much more as he gets older.

Time recently ran an article about increased TV time and links to "an increased risk of childhood obesity and high blood pressure, problems with attention and language development, and a decrease in the quality of relationships between children and parents."

As for how much is too much? According to the article, the AAP recommends no more than 1-2 hours of "quality programming" a day.

 

[Puppmom]

I once took TV away from DD as a punishment when she was 5. She said "But Mom, TV is my LIFE!"

Watching TV is definitely one of those things that kids will want to do WAY more often than they should so I don''t think your kiddo is abnormal. I also don''t think it''ll wear off so you''ll probably have to come up with some sort of schedule for TV watching time. Good luck!

 

[swingirl]

The "novelty" will not wear off. You need to control the TV and help your 3 year old find more creative and interesting things to do. Games, crafts, toys, music, things that she can do herself once the interest has been established. You need to spend time doing things with her so she learns how to amuse herself. Otherwise you''ll be fighting the "passive entertainment" for years to come.

For starters she shouldn''t be allowed to turn on the TV herself. She should be asking for permission and she shouldn''t have such easy access to DVDs.

 

[partgypsy]

Durn, thought as much. She is a strong-willed lil'' creature and this process is not going to be pretty. I read on one forum a parent (when the kid is another room) unplugs the tv and tells the kid the tv is broken. That might work.

I am p''od. I really wanted to sign her up for dance lessons, but the 2 places I was considering, all 4 classes for her age range are on the timeslot Saturday at 9 am. I like to relax and make a big breakfast on Saturday, so that''s not going to work.

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

I agree with the others, 4 hrs of TV for a 3 year old is over kill. My main concern would be that at such a young age, a child'' brain is still rapidly developing. They need loads of stimulation (including using their imagination, as opposed to passively watching TV), so that their brain develops to it''s full potential. I would be concerned for any child that young watching that much TV.

 

[swingirl]

That broken TV trick does work. Once our cable went down for a few days when a tree blew over in a storm. We didn''t have TV reception for about a week. It was amazing. My kids started to make tents in the living room out of blankets. They rearranged the couch cushions into a fort. They HAD to amuse themselves.

 

[partgypsy]

Swingirl, she does have to ask permission tv and is not supposed to turn it on by herself. Up until this morning we didn''t know she knew how to operate the dvd or video cassette recorder. Now that she knows, it''s going to be even more difficult, unless we unplug the tv or lock up the dvds or something.

We try to do interactive stuff with our kids every day (playing outside, especially with water, watercoloring, playdough, getting the coloring books out, puzzles, getting the "music box" out). But except for playing outside, she seems to get bored after an hour. The day can seem very long. She does take a nap in the afternoon because she falls apart if she doesn''t. But she doesn''t seem to need as much sleep as some preschoolers. She falls asleep after the oldest does, and pops out of bed in the morning.

In (small) defense of her tv watching, she does seem to get something out of it. She will run up to us to tell us what happened in the show and often imitate parts of dances and songs she sees on tv.

A hard thing for her is that she doesn''t really have much in the way of playmates. Her older sister is her biggest playmate. They still play alot but the oldest also has her own friends and playdates, and also likes time to herself.

 

[partgypsy]

Now that LOST is over I could totally do a moratorium on tv. Thoughout college and a few years afterwards I didn''t even own a tv. Maybe that is why this is so disconcerting to me.

 

[swingirl]

Ya, it''s a tough one because there are so many kid shows on TV. Cute ones, educational ones, musicals, etc.

 

[E B]

What about enrolling her in a summer camp for preschoolers? I did a quick search on Google and found a few schools and churches in my area who offer daytime activities for toddlers.

 

[curlygirl]

pg, I have a 3 year old as well and am constantly amazed by the things she knows how to do, although she hasn't figured out the dvd player yet!

She watches maybe an hour of tv a day but it's not even necessarily tv shows for kids. We have Leap Frog dvds that are really great and educational and she loves them so I don't feel guilty that she watches them because it really helped her learn the alphabet and all the sounds the letters make. I also put on French dvds because she takes French classes and I want her to hear it at home as well as in the class. She won't sit still as long for those but at least it's on in the background.

If you can try to cut back a little bit, I think you should. While I would certainly hope she won't be permanently "damaged" from watching so much, you should probably try to limit it since she's relying on it too much as her main source of entertainment. Use whatever excuse you have to and good luck!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I will be honest, my child will not watch 2-4 hours of TV per day at age 3. I don''t like TV for kids, it is passive spoon fed entertainment and does not allow them to explore their environments and learn on their own. We have a house rule that the TV is not allowed to be on when the kiddo is around, he is now 15 months. That rule gets bent by his father sometimes, but I pick my battles

If he is sick we might watch a some kids shows together, maybe for 15-20 minutes or something.

I suppose you have to figure it out for yourself and what is best for your own family, though, as with everything about parenting.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 2:07:49 PM
Author: part gypsy
Swingirl, she does have to ask permission tv and is not supposed to turn it on by herself. Up until this morning we didn't know she knew how to operate the dvd or video cassette recorder. Now that she knows, it's going to be even more difficult, unless we unplug the tv or lock up the dvds or something.

We try to do interactive stuff with our kids every day (playing outside, especially with water, watercoloring, playdough, getting the coloring books out, puzzles, getting the 'music box' out). But except for playing outside, she seems to get bored after an hour. The day can seem very long. She does take a nap in the afternoon because she falls apart if she doesn't. But she doesn't seem to need as much sleep as some preschoolers. She falls asleep after the oldest does, and pops out of bed in the morning.

In (small) defense of her tv watching, she does seem to get something out of it. She will run up to us to tell us what happened in the show and often imitate parts of dances and songs she sees on tv.

A hard thing for her is that she doesn't really have much in the way of playmates. Her older sister is her biggest playmate. They still play alot but the oldest also has her own friends and playdates, and also likes time to herself.

That is what I would do for sure! Why not!

And I think it is normal for a kid to get bored after an hour. In fact, I think and hour doing one activity is a long time and suggests she has a great attention span for focused activity. Day camps or other activities are a great idea! I am not a SAHM but I sure do see how the days get looooong. When our son is home for the day or on weekend I try to be out doing things all the time so that he and I don't both get bored.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/26/2010 2:28:35 PM
Author: dreamer_d

Date: 5/26/2010 2:07:49 PM
Author: part gypsy
Swingirl, she does have to ask permission tv and is not supposed to turn it on by herself. Up until this morning we didn''t know she knew how to operate the dvd or video cassette recorder. Now that she knows, it''s going to be even more difficult, unless we unplug the tv or lock up the dvds or something.

We try to do interactive stuff with our kids every day (playing outside, especially with water, watercoloring, playdough, getting the coloring books out, puzzles, getting the ''music box'' out). But except for playing outside, she seems to get bored after an hour. The day can seem very long. She does take a nap in the afternoon because she falls apart if she doesn''t. But she doesn''t seem to need as much sleep as some preschoolers. She falls asleep after the oldest does, and pops out of bed in the morning.

In (small) defense of her tv watching, she does seem to get something out of it. She will run up to us to tell us what happened in the show and often imitate parts of dances and songs she sees on tv.

A hard thing for her is that she doesn''t really have much in the way of playmates. Her older sister is her biggest playmate. They still play alot but the oldest also has her own friends and playdates, and also likes time to herself.

That is what I would do for sure! Why not!

And I think it is normal for a kid to get bored after an hour. In fact, I think and hour doing one activity is a long time and suggests she has a great attention span for focused activity. Day camps or other activities are a great idea! I am not a SAHM but I sure do see how the days get looooong. When our son is home for the day or on weekend I try to be out doing things all the time so that he and I don''t both get bored.

I think locking up the DVDs is a good idea.

As for the TV being broken, I know this is easier said than done, but could you simply just say no TV? Because if you say it''s broken, they may ask when it''s going to get fixed. Or if someone flips it on when they''re around, they''ll wonder what''s going on. I understand that tantrums may result, and can persist for awhile, but I do think it is healthy for children to understand that they can''t do something because mommy says no is a good thing.

My child just has to understand that sometimes, life''s tough.

Dreamer, I''m with you. I don''t think that the TV is all that bad (like curlygirl said, I don''t think it will "damage" the kids unless it''s excessive) but what I hate about it is that if I were to leave her to watch it, she turns into a zombie. Barely capable of one word answers if I address her with anything. Otherwise, she is a very engaged kid and loves to converse with me. For this reason, I think TV isn''t the best thing for Amelia. It''s time in her life where she isn''t learning social skills or anything else for that matter. I don''t mind it as much when I sit with her and we point out things and count together (I like Dora for this).

Amelia didn''t watch much of anything until she as about 20 months (so under the 2 year AAP guideline). But when she started pointing things out and understanding, I was willing to let her watch along with me.

But that''s me...I''m personally not into TV at all. I hardly ever watch it (right now I''m only watching one HBO show, but normally it''s zilch.)

 

[partgypsy]

Part of the problem is that letting her watch tv gives US a break, which I admit. My husband''s excuse is that since she is so active, and her naps have gotten shorter, that it is her way of chilling out.

Around here the camps don''t start until age 4. She does a morning preschool 2x a week (it just ended), which will increase to 4x a week in the fall. She''s not interested in soccer. She is interested in dance, but all the ones I saw for her age range were Sat at 9 am. Maybe I''ll have to bite the bullet about that.

Pros: she is physically ahead of schedule both gross and fine. She can watch someone doing something and then imitate it (ex: putting keys into door to unlock, using cd player, taking food out of cabinets and fridge to make herself snacks). She can figure stuff out on her own, like how to stack blocks, put on shoes, etc. A very affectionate child.
Cons: she is a little behind (not abnormally so) in language and other preschool skills like counting and alphabet. She has not yet accepted that "no" means "no". If you are not with her 100% she will often get in trouble/make messes. I used to get upset because I thought she was doing this to get attention. But I think with her that''s just the way she learns, is by physically interacting with things. She has learned limits with alot of stuff (being gentle with dog, not playing with mom''s things) but she still has real problems with a) bedtime and b) tv being turned off.

 

[partgypsy]

I come home from work and my husband shows me a watercolor she did: it''s her sitting on her Daddy''s lap watching tv (blue blob is the tv). She is officially obsessed.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/26/2010 5:29:23 PM
Author: part gypsy
I come home from work and my husband shows me a watercolor she did: it''s her sitting on her Daddy''s lap watching tv (blue blob is the tv). She is officially obsessed.

LOL, that''s kind of funny. I think it''s also a good signal that it''s time to turn off the boob tube. Good luck!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 2:41:05 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/26/2010 2:28:35 PM
Author: dreamer_d

Date: 5/26/2010 2:07:49 PM
Author: part gypsy
Swingirl, she does have to ask permission tv and is not supposed to turn it on by herself. Up until this morning we didn''t know she knew how to operate the dvd or video cassette recorder. Now that she knows, it''s going to be even more difficult, unless we unplug the tv or lock up the dvds or something.

We try to do interactive stuff with our kids every day (playing outside, especially with water, watercoloring, playdough, getting the coloring books out, puzzles, getting the ''music box'' out). But except for playing outside, she seems to get bored after an hour. The day can seem very long. She does take a nap in the afternoon because she falls apart if she doesn''t. But she doesn''t seem to need as much sleep as some preschoolers. She falls asleep after the oldest does, and pops out of bed in the morning.

In (small) defense of her tv watching, she does seem to get something out of it. She will run up to us to tell us what happened in the show and often imitate parts of dances and songs she sees on tv.

A hard thing for her is that she doesn''t really have much in the way of playmates. Her older sister is her biggest playmate. They still play alot but the oldest also has her own friends and playdates, and also likes time to herself.

That is what I would do for sure! Why not!

And I think it is normal for a kid to get bored after an hour. In fact, I think and hour doing one activity is a long time and suggests she has a great attention span for focused activity. Day camps or other activities are a great idea! I am not a SAHM but I sure do see how the days get looooong. When our son is home for the day or on weekend I try to be out doing things all the time so that he and I don''t both get bored.

I think locking up the DVDs is a good idea.

As for the TV being broken, I know this is easier said than done, but could you simply just say no TV? Because if you say it''s broken, they may ask when it''s going to get fixed. Or if someone flips it on when they''re around, they''ll wonder what''s going on. I understand that tantrums may result, and can persist for awhile, but I do think it is healthy for children to understand that they can''t do something because mommy says no is a good thing.

My child just has to understand that sometimes, life''s tough.

Dreamer, I''m with you. I don''t think that the TV is all that bad (like curlygirl said, I don''t think it will ''damage'' the kids unless it''s excessive) but what I hate about it is that if I were to leave her to watch it, she turns into a zombie. Barely capable of one word answers if I address her with anything. Otherwise, she is a very engaged kid and loves to converse with me. For this reason, I think TV isn''t the best thing for Amelia. It''s time in her life where she isn''t learning social skills or anything else for that matter. I don''t mind it as much when I sit with her and we point out things and count together (I like Dora for this).

Amelia didn''t watch much of anything until she as about 20 months (so under the 2 year AAP guideline). But when she started pointing things out and understanding, I was willing to let her watch along with me.

But that''s me...I''m personally not into TV at all. I hardly ever watch it (right now I''m only watching one HBO show, but normally it''s zilch.)

My first thought was along these lines: If mom says no, tough cookies kiddo! It means no!

Slight thread jack but I had an interesting experience yesterday along these lines. We were on a road trip with the inlaws and MIL and I were sitting in the back with Hunter. He wanted the bottle of pop that my MIL was drinking and decided that crying hysterically was the way to get it. My MIL initially put the bottle away and when he started crying she said, "Oh well, I guess it won''t hurt him!" and went to give it back. I Stopped her and said, "No was Jose, he does not get his way when he pulls a fit!" She looked a little chagrin and I thought she might argue, but then he stopped his "hysterical crying" after 10 seconds and instead played with the new object we gave him. Point one for mom

But it does teach me something about how my DH was raised and why he thinks he should always get his way!

Anyways, if you don''t want her watching then you can put a stop to it for no good reason other than you are mommy! Hear you roar!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 5:29:23 PM
Author: part gypsy
I come home from work and my husband shows me a watercolor she did: it''s her sitting on her Daddy''s lap watching tv (blue blob is the tv). She is officially obsessed.

I think it is sweet that she is drawing a picture of her and her Daddy... but maybe it suggests that he should spend time doing something else with her

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/26/2010 6:12:25 PM
Author: dreamer_d

My first thought was along these lines: If mom says no, tough cookies kiddo! It means no!

Slight thread jack but I had an interesting experience yesterday along these lines. We were on a road trip with the inlaws and MIL and I were sitting in the back with Hunter. He wanted the bottle of pop that my MIL was drinking and decided that crying hysterically was the way to get it. My MIL initially put the bottle away and when he started crying she said, ''Oh well, I guess it won''t hurt him!'' and went to give it back. I Stopped her and said, ''No was Jose, he does not get his way when he pulls a fit!'' She looked a little chagrin and I thought she might argue, but then he stopped his ''hysterical crying'' after 10 seconds and instead played with the new object we gave him. Point one for mom

But it does teach me something about how my DH was raised and why he thinks he should always get his way!

Anyways, if you don''t want her watching then you can put a stop to it for no good reason other than you are mommy! Hear you roar!

That''s great Dreamer! I totally agree...I never give Amelia back anything if she pitches a fit. I do not want to hear it! And I know, without a doubt (basic psychology) that if I give in to her while she is having a fit, she''s going to use that as a weapon against me more and more!

Maybe it''s because I have a daughter that I fear those teenage years, but I truly think to myself the saying we''ve all heard before: If I can''t beat a 2 year old, how the hell am I going to manage a teenager?

I am mother. I am 37. Hear me roar, you toddler!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 3:32:25 PM
Author: part gypsy
Part of the problem is that letting her watch tv gives US a break, which I admit. My husband''s excuse is that since she is so active, and her naps have gotten shorter, that it is her way of chilling out.

Around here the camps don''t start until age 4. She does a morning preschool 2x a week (it just ended), which will increase to 4x a week in the fall. She''s not interested in soccer. She is interested in dance, but all the ones I saw for her age range were Sat at 9 am. Maybe I''ll have to bite the bullet about that.

Pros: she is physically ahead of schedule both gross and fine. She can watch someone doing something and then imitate it (ex: putting keys into door to unlock, using cd player, taking food out of cabinets and fridge to make herself snacks). She can figure stuff out on her own, like how to stack blocks, put on shoes, etc. A very affectionate child.
Cons: she is a little behind (not abnormally so) in language and other preschool skills like counting and alphabet. She has not yet accepted that ''no'' means ''no''. If you are not with her 100% she will often get in trouble/make messes. I used to get upset because I thought she was doing this to get attention. But I think with her that''s just the way she learns, is by physically interacting with things. She has learned limits with alot of stuff (being gentle with dog, not playing with mom''s things) but she still has real problems with a) bedtime and b) tv being turned off.

She sounds like a delightful and normal 3 year old!

You know, though, that if she does not know that no means no, it means you have not taught her that, right?

I have heard of the mythical and elisive child that always does everything their parents ask the vey first time they ask, but I have not met them. We are still working on Hunter not to play in the toilet

He does not know what No means, but I keep on trying. He now waits until I am looking to go for the dog dish or open the toilet lid. Clearly he does not yet know mommy means business. He is 15 months. I think it is the monkey stage.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 6:16:39 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/26/2010 6:12:25 PM
Author: dreamer_d

My first thought was along these lines: If mom says no, tough cookies kiddo! It means no!

Slight thread jack but I had an interesting experience yesterday along these lines. We were on a road trip with the inlaws and MIL and I were sitting in the back with Hunter. He wanted the bottle of pop that my MIL was drinking and decided that crying hysterically was the way to get it. My MIL initially put the bottle away and when he started crying she said, ''Oh well, I guess it won''t hurt him!'' and went to give it back. I Stopped her and said, ''No was Jose, he does not get his way when he pulls a fit!'' She looked a little chagrin and I thought she might argue, but then he stopped his ''hysterical crying'' after 10 seconds and instead played with the new object we gave him. Point one for mom

But it does teach me something about how my DH was raised and why he thinks he should always get his way!

Anyways, if you don''t want her watching then you can put a stop to it for no good reason other than you are mommy! Hear you roar!

That''s great Dreamer! I totally agree...I never give Amelia back anything if she pitches a fit. I do not want to hear it! And I know, without a doubt (basic psychology) that if I give in to her while she is having a fit, she''s going to use that as a weapon against me more and more!

Maybe it''s because I have a daughter that I fear those teenage years, but I truly think to myself the saying we''ve all heard before: If I can''t beat a 2 year old, how the hell am I going to manage a teenager?

I am mother. I am 37. Hear me roar, you toddler!

hahaha... too true. I have the same rule about fits. I am sympathetic that he is frustrated and I usually try to empathize by saying something like: "I know it is frustrating, you really want that bottle, but it is not for Hunter." And then I distract him. I want him to know I hear him, but at the same time know what the rules are.

Sorry for the threadjack PG!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 5/26/2010 6:20:56 PM
Author: dreamer_d

Date: 5/26/2010 6:16:39 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 5/26/2010 6:12:25 PM
Author: dreamer_d

My first thought was along these lines: If mom says no, tough cookies kiddo! It means no!

Slight thread jack but I had an interesting experience yesterday along these lines. We were on a road trip with the inlaws and MIL and I were sitting in the back with Hunter. He wanted the bottle of pop that my MIL was drinking and decided that crying hysterically was the way to get it. My MIL initially put the bottle away and when he started crying she said, ''Oh well, I guess it won''t hurt him!'' and went to give it back. I Stopped her and said, ''No was Jose, he does not get his way when he pulls a fit!'' She looked a little chagrin and I thought she might argue, but then he stopped his ''hysterical crying'' after 10 seconds and instead played with the new object we gave him. Point one for mom

But it does teach me something about how my DH was raised and why he thinks he should always get his way!

Anyways, if you don''t want her watching then you can put a stop to it for no good reason other than you are mommy! Hear you roar!

That''s great Dreamer! I totally agree...I never give Amelia back anything if she pitches a fit. I do not want to hear it! And I know, without a doubt (basic psychology) that if I give in to her while she is having a fit, she''s going to use that as a weapon against me more and more!

Maybe it''s because I have a daughter that I fear those teenage years, but I truly think to myself the saying we''ve all heard before: If I can''t beat a 2 year old, how the hell am I going to manage a teenager?

I am mother. I am 37. Hear me roar, you toddler!

hahaha... too true. I have the same rule about fits. I am sympathetic that he is frustrated and I usually try to empathize by saying something like: ''I know it is frustrating, you really want that bottle, but it is not for Hunter.'' And then I distract him. I want him to know I hear him, but at the same time know what the rules are.

Sorry for the threadjack PG!

Sympathy is great, and I agree it''s good to use it in conjunction with mean-mommy-ain''t-gonna-give-it-back syndrome.

Plus I learned the "Not for Amelia" from you. I use that all the time along with an "I''m sorry" when applicable.

You are wise to teach Hunter this. Kind of interesting...it helps in something that I didn''t foresee. There are times that I am physically unable to do what she wants, even if I wanted to. She has been on a total cantalope kick lately. LOVES melon. She asked me the other day, "MELON! More Melon please!"

I had to say, "No Amelia, I''m sorry, there is no melon today. No melon. Strawberries?"

I would have felt really bad if she had thrown a fit when honestly, I simply had no melon and couldn''t do anything about it right then. But she truly now understands that when I say no, it just ain''t gonna happen. She didn''t care for strawberries, but she understood there was no melon that day. Fits do not magically procure desired results...it''s comes in handy in more ways than we can imagine.

PG, also apologize for the threadjack!

 

[Mara]

lol re: the ''not for Amelia'' ... i have always done that with Portia. i say ''not for Portias'' and she totally knows what i mean and will look sad. Guess that''s what is in J''s future too.

good luck PG!

 

[somethingshiny]

JT started liking tv at around the same age. (he''s now 4.5) My problem is that if DH is awake he never turns the tv OFF so JT will even sit and watch home improvement or car repair shows.

I have to find other things for him to do that are more entertaining than TV and it''s not easy. Sometimes I will use his shows as a jumping point to create a new game or craft that continues the theme from the program but is something he can physically do. Thankfully, summertime is here and he''d rather be outside.

Honestly, 4 hours of tv is a lot, but if it''s "quality" I can live with that number.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 5/26/2010 8:07:00 PM
Author: somethingshiny
JT started liking tv at around the same age. (he''s now 4.5) My problem is that if DH is awake he never turns the tv OFF so JT will even sit and watch home improvement or car repair shows.

I have to find other things for him to do that are more entertaining than TV and it''s not easy. Sometimes I will use his shows as a jumping point to create a new game or craft that continues the theme from the program but is something he can physically do. Thankfully, summertime is here and he''d rather be outside.

Honestly, 4 hours of tv is a lot, but if it''s ''quality'' I can live with that number.

My husband is the same, but sports

He is being pretty good so far about not watching while Hunter is awake, luckily the boy goes to sleep at 6:30pm, but I don''t know how my "rule" will fare in the long term.

 

[partgypsy]

Thanks folks, it''s interesting to hear people''s perspectives. Managed to keep everyone occupied for the evening without watching tv, kids finally in bed. I want to just lay in my new bed and read a book, but have a huge pile of laundry to fold and put away first

.

Guess I''ll see everyone in the new pricescope a couple days from now!

 

[mrssalvo]

part gypsy, up until a few weeks ago I was a full time sahm and can relate to how easy it is to let kids watch, especially when you know they will stay in one place and you can get some other much needed things done. I''ve found it really helps to do activities outside of the house. I joined a mom''s club a few years ago when I had a toddler and they planned activities all the time. Also, going to the gym, swimming lessons, parks/playgrounds, even walks help to pass time and break up the day. Check the library too. they often times have a bunch of kid activities scheduled.

oh and to answer your original question, I don''t think wanting to watch tv is something they just outgrow. Sadly, their desire only grows as they get bigger..