Do your children watch TV all day long?
September 11, 2007 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
My child is probably one of the many who watch these toddler shows all the time. The same sets of DVDs over and over again. I don’t even have to watch them to know what the scenes are. Actually neither does she! She has already ‘memorized’ what happens next. A friend told me before that watching the same shows over and over again is good for brain exercise, or something like that.
Unfortunately, my daughter wants to watch the same shows the whole day and pesters me “again, Mommy, one more time!” It’s very tempting to just turn the TV on, or allow a show to repeat just one more time, just so I have unhindered time to work on something else.
And yet, all my maternal instincts tell me this isn’t good for her, now or in the long run. Yeah, my concerns were justified when I read this report on the link between childhood TV viewing and teenage attention problems (The full report is linked).
Children who watch television more than two hours a day are more likely to have attention problems when they are teenagers, according to Otago University researchers.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not the damage was done, the report said.
I really have a two-pronged problem up my sleeve now.
1. How do I get this excessive TV viewing out of my child’s system?
2. How do I find alternative activities for my child that doesn’t involve me constantly playing with her?
Any tips from fellow parents are needed ASAP.
Tags: children, health, habits, television, watching, TV, viewing, attention, mental health, behavior
Phase the tv out little by little each day. That is what I did this summer, till the kids were playing, drawing, reading or playing on their Leapster without any background sound. I love to see them use their brains instead of that blank tv stare, which is still there some of the time! Hey, no one is perfect. And I think smetimes they do need that, just not hours a day! That is my best advice.
that’s a good idea, Kendra. Thanks! I did tell my daughter today to wait for Daddy for TV time, at least she has a whole day until around 5pm before she can watch anything. She still remembers to ask though the moment her dad comes in! One day at a time I guess…
Combien il coûte, pour to développer drapeau South ton blog?
At home all day with an almost 3 year old and a one year old. My three year old is very smart, but LOVES his TV. My one year old enjoys exploring and playing rather than watching tv. She once in a while has her eyes on it but not often. I am a disabled mommy and I’m not able to do as much as most mothers. I feel my children are getting the bad end of the deal, any suggestions to help ease my troubled mind would help.
Thanks