It's National Turn Off Your TV Week this week, April 21-27th. I'm making my kids participate (and they aren't too happy about it) and I am participating too but I'm not doing so well. I made it until about 8 pm last night and I gave in. Well, it's really boring sometimes nursing Baby Girl! I can't read a book while I nurse her because, um, well, I'm a bit too "blessed" in the chest area and I have to "hold it up" while she nurses. So breastfeeding for me is always a two handed activity. Then the baby was up about 5 times last night, still not feeling well and I "had" to turn on the TV to stay awake and take care of her. After only 24 hours of the "Turn Off the TV" thing I'm discovering already how dependent I am on the idiot box. So my new goal is to keep the TV off all day and just use it at night after the kids are in bed. I know, how hypocritical of me...............
The thing is, I don't let the kids watch that much TV anyway. Most weekdays I don't allow them to watch any at all. Usually on Fridays I will let them watch it afterschool and sometimes an hour or two during the week. My boys watch about 2-4 hours a week and that's far below the national average of 28 hours per week. So, I feel pretty good about myself as a parent until I add up the hours my boys play Wii every week.........
Bear and Monkey spend about 10 hours a week in front of our Wii. I think video games are a little bit different than TV because they are actually doing something with their hands at least. When I agreed to get a Wii Nintendo game system it was because I thought the Wii was different and the kids had to stand up and move around for all the games. However, what I've discovered is only a handful of the Wii games require total body movement and most of the games are sit down and use your hands only like video games have always been. So really video games are just about as stationary as TV. When I really think about it, my kids need a "Turn Off the Wii Week".
But getting back to me and MY TV habit. I probably watch 15-20 hours of TV a week. Yikes! I watch it mostly when I'm nursing Alita but I find that when I'm done nursing I leave it on for the "company". Geez, how sad is that? I really miss how our home was set up in Arizona. Our TV was upstairs and I spent my day downstairs. I got a lot more done and spent more time with my kids with the TV out of sight. I'm concerned that even though I don't let my kids watch that much, I am setting that example. Not to mention that sometimes they see things they shouldn't when I am watching TV. I always quickly turn the channel when something innappropriate flashes on screen but the "flash" is probably enough to cause harm.
I guess the long and the short of it is I need "National Turn Off Your TV Week" more than my kids do. I am definatly committed to keeping it off all day and maybe not just for this week. And I'm also going to make a committment not to watch anything that might be innappropriate around them again. I don't want even a "flash" to harm their dear little minds and hearts.
The thing is, I don't let the kids watch that much TV anyway. Most weekdays I don't allow them to watch any at all. Usually on Fridays I will let them watch it afterschool and sometimes an hour or two during the week. My boys watch about 2-4 hours a week and that's far below the national average of 28 hours per week. So, I feel pretty good about myself as a parent until I add up the hours my boys play Wii every week.........
Bear and Monkey spend about 10 hours a week in front of our Wii. I think video games are a little bit different than TV because they are actually doing something with their hands at least. When I agreed to get a Wii Nintendo game system it was because I thought the Wii was different and the kids had to stand up and move around for all the games. However, what I've discovered is only a handful of the Wii games require total body movement and most of the games are sit down and use your hands only like video games have always been. So really video games are just about as stationary as TV. When I really think about it, my kids need a "Turn Off the Wii Week".
But getting back to me and MY TV habit. I probably watch 15-20 hours of TV a week. Yikes! I watch it mostly when I'm nursing Alita but I find that when I'm done nursing I leave it on for the "company". Geez, how sad is that? I really miss how our home was set up in Arizona. Our TV was upstairs and I spent my day downstairs. I got a lot more done and spent more time with my kids with the TV out of sight. I'm concerned that even though I don't let my kids watch that much, I am setting that example. Not to mention that sometimes they see things they shouldn't when I am watching TV. I always quickly turn the channel when something innappropriate flashes on screen but the "flash" is probably enough to cause harm.
I guess the long and the short of it is I need "National Turn Off Your TV Week" more than my kids do. I am definatly committed to keeping it off all day and maybe not just for this week. And I'm also going to make a committment not to watch anything that might be innappropriate around them again. I don't want even a "flash" to harm their dear little minds and hearts.
Why is TV so hard to turn off???????
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