toddlerspit

“Mom.  You should make a deal with me.”

“I should?  What kind of deal?”

“I don’t know.  Kiki’s mom makes a deal with her.”

“Oh.”

***

“Mom.  My seatbelt is rojo and amarillo.”

“Uh, yes.  It is.  Uh, do you see something that is also azul?”

“Yes!  My shirt!”

“Wow.  Good job, Addie.” 

Baby genius.

***

Okay, then.  So maybe letting Addie watch movies or television isn’t so bad.  I mean, she learned what “making a deal” means from the movie Kiki’s Flying Delivery Service, which Aunt Julie and Uncle Steve sent her last week, and she learned the colors in Spanish from Dora the Explorer.  I mean, really.  Does she even need me?  I could just turn on a bunch of videos all day long, and at the end of the day get a recap for a few minutes before bed.  It’s the perfect plan!  More free time for me, a varied and distinct education for her. 

And Americans all over the country are doing it. 

I suppose the main drawback (other than, you know, not actually spending any time with my kid) is that she could also model some bad stuff.  We’ve been letting her watch the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for example, and we had to have a long talk about the bad things the kids in the movie do.  Augustus is greedy; Mike is a know-it-all; Veruca is spoiled (a “bad nut”); and Violet doesn’t do what she’s told.  This results in them being turned into blueberries and shot down garbage chutes and various other forms of light torture.

Addie’s pretty clear on the “good” and the “bad” stuff, but I have found her repeating some of the bad things the kids say.  Last week, we were a little lax with her because she wasn’t feeling good, and she developed a very Veruca-esque tendency to stamp her foot and scream that she waaaaanted something, nooooowwwwww.  Not good.  We had a lot of time on the naughty step the last few days to break that habit.

And we were worried she’d be scared by things like the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz, though we haven’t seen evidence of that.  What seems to worry her more are things like “feeling lonely,” or not being included.  And, she claims to hear the “hic boom oh” sound a lot.

Don’t ask.  Let’s just say it involves a hiccuping blue bull with a stomping problem.  What I’m saying is, you never know what the kid is going to react to, or how she’ll react. 

We’re back to limiting her t.v. now that she’s feeling better–we definitely want her to have time to paint and draw and play and read and be with us.  But I think it’s good to remember there are good things and bad things that t.v. can do for us.  Do I want her watching Saturday morning cartoons, with all those ads and stuff?  No.  Do I still think Dora videos and Sesame Street are okay, and maybe even beneficial for all of us?  You bet.

Now leave me alone.  I have to finish The Sopranos.

You know that bread I made last week that I was so proud of?  Well, the bread I made today kicks that other bread’s ass.   Today’s bread was light and fluffy and flavorful and delicious.  Yum.

Of course, the bread I tried to make over the weekend was a doughy mess, because I only put in half the yeast the recipe requires.  Oops.  But today’s bread more than made up for it.  I’ve already eaten five slices, just to prove it.

Enough with the bread soap opera (Days of Our Bread?  All My Bread?). 

When I was little, reading was sort of a mandatory activity in our house.  My mom tells stories of us reading together in bed for hours every morning when I was little, and as I grew older, my brother and I had to go to our rooms and read for a half-hour every night before bed.  Pretty soon I was trying to read books by my little Strawberry Shortcake nightlight, furtively sneaking the books under the covers when I heard footsteps approaching.  The first book I stayed up all night reading was It, by Stephen King.  I still remember how scared I was, how I didn’t want to go to the bathroom that night for fear of what was in that sink drain….  I don’t think I’ve read a Stephen King since.

Anyway, reading is still a big part of my life.  I have to do (get to do?) a fair share of it for work, and always have a couple of books going.  And we read to Addie a lot–we make weekly trips to the library, and my mom saved every one of my children’s books (numbering in the hundreds), so we have a good stash at home, too.  Addie loves books. 

She’ll even turn off the T.V. to read them.

Oops!  So there’s my big admission.  We let our kid watch T.V.  Call child services.

An hour or two a day, actually.  Oh, we only watch PBS or parent-approved DVDs, but she’s definitely in front of the tube for part of every day.  Which allows Eric and I to have a conversation when he gets home, or gives me time to make bread, check email, or to direct some attention Nolie’s way.  Addie learns from these shows, you know.  She has a precocious vocabulary, a strong sense of narrative, and an affection for characters.  Much of this must come from all of the reading we do.  But part of it is from the great kids’ shows she watches, like Bear in the Big Blue House or Dora the Explorer.  Barney makes me want to put my own eye out, but she’s not that into him, thank goodness.

I don’t think any of my friends with kids let their kids watch T.V.  Or at least they won’t admit to it.  Others I know are adamant about it, rabid even.  The anti-T.V. brigade.

So the question is, why?  I know there have been studies done that suggest that babies shouldn’t be exposed to T.V. because it can alter brain development.  Actually, someone told me this.  I haven’t really seen them enough to know if they make sense or are valid (Steve, feel free to send the links my way).  But what’s wrong with kids watching Sesame Street?  I mean, isn’t it T.V. for kids? 

Okay, so some of you might say that this

is the problem.  That catatonic, drool-inducing, creativity-killing properties of T.V.  Right?  Is this it?  To be honest, this doesn’t bother me that much.  I think Addie gets a much needed time out now and then when she watches a show.  It gives her a change to lay on the couch and relax.  It gives us that chance, too.  And Addie still wants to read, and play with toys, and see her friends, and paint pictures.   

See?

Does all of this sound like an excuse to you?  Did you watch T.V. when you were growing up?  Probably.  And probably the kind with commercials and guns and stuff like that, too.  And that probably wasn’t good for any of us.  But is there a middle ground?  Can I let my kid watch T.V. without suffering massive guilt over it, without comparing what you are able to withstand with what I can withstand?  Hmmm.  Maybe not.  But maybe a little bit of guilt is worth a little bit of quiet for all of us.

So, if you don’t want your kid to watch T.V. at my house, I’ll respect that.  But a little T.V. now and then works for our family.  So there.