Along with topics like breast vs. bottle, circumcised vs. intact, vaccinate vs. non-vaccinate; I’ve found that tv-free vs. t.v.-viewing is one of those “hot parenting topics” that ignites a lot of emotion and debate on both sides of the issue. It’s not an issue I feel incredibly impassioned about, but in light of the television discussions going on here on the blog recently, I thought I’d share our perspective.
In our house, we allow television. My husband and I made this decision much the same way we decided on every other parenting decision we have made: Through lots of research, discussion, and most importantly, by evaluating our own personal experiences. And we came to the conclusion that we would be a t.v.-watching family.
Why? Well, here are a few of our reasons:
* We strive to live in a “consensual” environment with our children. Each member of our familys’ wants and needs are equally considered and addressed, regardless of age. So, even if I felt that t.v. was “poison,” (which I do not) Connor may not feel the same way. As an independent being, he needs to come to his own conclusions about t.v.
* My kids are home-schooled, so we have the opportunity to approach television in a different way than parents of schooled children are able to. My kids don’t spend 8-10 hours of their day in school. Their television watching doesn’t impact our time together as a family, the time they should be spending doing homework, etc. They can watch a half-an-hour show and still have more than enough time for all of the other activities they love.
* Homeschooling alone sets my child apart from many of his peers. He can’t have a conversation with his friends about what he did in gym class or which teacher he’ll have next year. It was important to me not to further that stigma of homeschoolers being “isolated” by having a six year old who doesn’t know what Star Wars is all about.
* My kids enjoy reading books, comics, magazines, listening to books on c.d., watching youtube videos, and pretty much any form of media which tells a story. Television is just another mode of story-telling for them. They don’t turn into passive television zombies while watching Word World. They dance and sing and practice spelling words, all while enjoying the story they’re being told.
* Contrary to what a lot of “child-raising experts” will say, I don’t believe that everything on t.v. is complete crap. Connor, my oldest, loves the educational shows on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, and PBS. We have a great time every year watching Shark Week on Discovery as a family. And his favorite show, Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer, helped him decide that he would like to be a veterinarian when he grows up.
* I suppose, most importantly, we watch television, because it works for our family. Lots of our friends don’t have the same outlook on media that we have, and it doesn’t really matter. Their kids aren’t social outcasts because they don’t watch television, and my kids aren’t socially and creatively stunted because they do.
And whether it’s breast-feeding or vaccines or t.v. watching, I think we’re trying to do the same thing that every parent is trying to: Simply raise our kids the best way we can.
*originally posted at www.fairfieldvoice.com*
