Demonizing and condemning something is never really a solution. Love your hot take! We all need to learn to use the tools in our parent toolkits, and sometimes we need a bit of tv time :)
I've been insufferably sanctimonious about screens in the past and we still don't watch anything on most days BUT I have gone screen crazy during sickness and won't hesitate to use them again.
I also have a spouse with a flexible schedule, a grandma who comes by to help, a grandpa who lives across the street, and literally 100 acres for the kids to run around SO all that to say if I was on my own more, with less space, I think we'd all be getting very cozy with some good movies :)
And increasingly I think I'll probably include movie nights more even when we don't "need" them. Some of my coziest memories of childhood involve tv and I truly learned a lot and was introduced to beautiful music + great stories. The fact that tv can be fun AND relaxing for both parents and kids seems like a win-win.
Thanks for pushing on this Gina and emphasizing that parenting advice is useless... Do what's right for YOUR family and when you find something enjoyable that is absolutely harmless, don't guilt trip!!
Yes, I think it's admirable to build a life that allows you to give your kids the kind of childhood you want for them, but it's also good for everyone's sake to be a bit flexible :)
Amen amen amen!!! Exactly what I tell every mom who asks me or comments on it. So much of parenting advice, online or otherwise, is steeped in moralism, when the real litmus test should be: does this help YOUR family? Not some ideal hypothetical family that doesn't exist anywhere in reality?
100% - absolutely NO family is doing all the things we're told we should/should not... we all have different needs, circumstances, resources, limits, KIDS...
Yes. Thank you. Three kids within three years… and full-time caregiving with no school or familial support…. has led me to use it regularly. (Little Bear and the Magic Schoolbus are some favorites which they actually learn so many fun things from, it’s surprising! Haha)
Thank you for posting this! We don’t have any TVs but have my computer/streaming services, and had to go heavier on it recently with some recent illness, and I needed the reminder that I’m not a terrible person for using the TV as a tool during all of the mess. I really appreciate the focus on prudence and discernment, and knowing that different seasons call for different scenarios
Definitely - I think sometimes when there's been a little spell of what feels like too much TV because of sickness or postpartum or whatever, it's easy to forget that it's really just a tiny drop in the sea of their childhood experiences, and will probably make for cosy memories anyway :)
That's encouraging, and definitely my hope - that we can move into a phase where kids can be quietly and safely self-sufficient. But we're not there yet, and that's ok! That's interesting as well, to know that a therapist made a similar recommendation.
TV has also been very helpful to get part-time computer work done. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Good stuff. Viewing TV as a tool for those hard times is everything!
I could not love this more
🙌🏼
Love this — thank you!!
Demonizing and condemning something is never really a solution. Love your hot take! We all need to learn to use the tools in our parent toolkits, and sometimes we need a bit of tv time :)
Love this, and totally agree!
I've been insufferably sanctimonious about screens in the past and we still don't watch anything on most days BUT I have gone screen crazy during sickness and won't hesitate to use them again.
I also have a spouse with a flexible schedule, a grandma who comes by to help, a grandpa who lives across the street, and literally 100 acres for the kids to run around SO all that to say if I was on my own more, with less space, I think we'd all be getting very cozy with some good movies :)
And increasingly I think I'll probably include movie nights more even when we don't "need" them. Some of my coziest memories of childhood involve tv and I truly learned a lot and was introduced to beautiful music + great stories. The fact that tv can be fun AND relaxing for both parents and kids seems like a win-win.
Thanks for pushing on this Gina and emphasizing that parenting advice is useless... Do what's right for YOUR family and when you find something enjoyable that is absolutely harmless, don't guilt trip!!
Yes, I think it's admirable to build a life that allows you to give your kids the kind of childhood you want for them, but it's also good for everyone's sake to be a bit flexible :)
Amen amen amen!!! Exactly what I tell every mom who asks me or comments on it. So much of parenting advice, online or otherwise, is steeped in moralism, when the real litmus test should be: does this help YOUR family? Not some ideal hypothetical family that doesn't exist anywhere in reality?
100% - absolutely NO family is doing all the things we're told we should/should not... we all have different needs, circumstances, resources, limits, KIDS...
Yes. Thank you. Three kids within three years… and full-time caregiving with no school or familial support…. has led me to use it regularly. (Little Bear and the Magic Schoolbus are some favorites which they actually learn so many fun things from, it’s surprising! Haha)
Yes, I think it's key to find things that you feel good about them watching and that don't drive you insane haha
Thank you for posting this! We don’t have any TVs but have my computer/streaming services, and had to go heavier on it recently with some recent illness, and I needed the reminder that I’m not a terrible person for using the TV as a tool during all of the mess. I really appreciate the focus on prudence and discernment, and knowing that different seasons call for different scenarios
Definitely - I think sometimes when there's been a little spell of what feels like too much TV because of sickness or postpartum or whatever, it's easy to forget that it's really just a tiny drop in the sea of their childhood experiences, and will probably make for cosy memories anyway :)
That's encouraging, and definitely my hope - that we can move into a phase where kids can be quietly and safely self-sufficient. But we're not there yet, and that's ok! That's interesting as well, to know that a therapist made a similar recommendation.