Mama, pass the remote

Granted, the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs is not the ideal time for me to dispute the merits of television.

Let's just say that the regular thundering of Don Cherry from the family room and never getting a crack at the remote - even for a glimpse of Dancing with the Stars - can make a person a mite testy.

Apparently though, my teenage sons are in good company when it comes to over-the-top TV consumption. This week, two studies revealed they're starting young these days. According to the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 40 per cent of babies age three months old watch TV. Can't you just picture legions of the barely-born, strapped into bouncy chairs and pointed at the telly?

Not only that, another study published in the U.S. journal Pediatrics found that 20 per cent of children younger than age three have televisions in their bedrooms. No doubt this is good news for BabyFirstTV, the U.S. satellite channel aimed at infants and slated to be available in Canada this summer.

Experts like the American Academy of Pediatrics discourage television for kids under two, citing the importance of face-to-face interaction and evidence that it increases the risk of attention problems. But they are up against a formidable opponent - companies peddling DVDs with names like Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby, which equate screen time with baby smarts. In other words, they give mom and dad the perfect excuse to use TV as babysitter.

As a parent, I have, on more than one occasion, appreciated the value of tot television. Sometimes it's the only way to a) wash the three days worth of dishes piled in the sink b) run to the bathroom to assist your toilet-training preschooler or c) read the paper for 20 minutes with your cup of tea. Just don't go telling me it's the sure path to Harvard.

As for those developmental experts advising parents to watch TV with their infants or toddlers, what can they be thinking? If you're sitting down with the little ones, why not sing, or read a story, or build a castle out of blocks. The days of being glued to hockey playoffs will come soon enough. Trust me.

Comments

[nancy]

I won't lie and say my kids never watch TV, cause they do, but it is very controlled both in amount of time and what they watch. Sure we used Baby Einstein on occasion as young as 7 months...but usually it was to keep one baby already down to 2 naps a day busy for a few minutes while the still needing 3 naps baby was nursed for a nap.

Now we are almost 5 years old. I am proud to say that there are days we watch no TV, and I always feel such a sense of accomplishment on those days, how lame is that? Today was 30 minutes of Sesame Street at 7 AM while I had a shower - is that breaking the law? And it actually taught them something! It was official 'taste a new food day' on the Street, and they asked me if they could try something new...and we did, and it worked. Who knew they would devour spinach dip so much?

I do think there is a case of too much TV for some, yet I don't believe we should be scorned of letting them. I do believe there can be a happy and healthy comprimise for each family.

Now back to Hockey Night in Canada!