How much TV do your kids watch? What do they watch? I remember when I was first divorced, sometimes the TV was my lifesaver.
Being the only parent of an only child meant that not only was I the only one doing housework and laundry, cooking and paying bills, I was also the only other person in the house to entertain her.
I hate to admit it but many times I parked Hailey in front of the TV when she wanted me to play a game with her or read a book with her, anything, she just wanted my time and attention but there were chores to be done and bills to be paid so I turned the TV on.
I consoled myself that she was watching age appropriate shows that were sometimes educational. We grew an extensive DVD library, all kid appropriate and parent approved. Still, I should have done more with her and let her watch less TV.
Now studies are showing the effects of TV, even secondhand TV on kids. That’s a new catch phrase, secondhand TV, it’s the TV you don’t realize they are watching but as we all know, they take everything in. One thing I found alarming though is that in this study over one third of the children had TV’s in their rooms by age three.
The newest studies are saying that TV affects language development. I’m not sure if that is true or not, I know lots of kids who watched lots of TV and spoke well from a young age.
I do believe it inhibits their social skills. All electronics do, they also contribute to childhood obesity. Our children are losing their imaginations, what’s left to imagine when everything is already depicted on a screen for you?
All parents, but especially single parents, need to turn the TV off. Our kids are little for such a short time. Sing songs, play games, make up games, play dress up. Let them be little, and save the TV for when they are better able to understand the and process what the media bombards them with.