Parents/guardians plonking their kids in front of the tv...?

DareGod

A question for parents and guardians of kids aged ~7 and under. Do you find it almost impossible to avoid plonking your kids in front of the tv for extended periods of time every now and then, or even every day, so that you can get some things done or get some rest yourself? I'd imagine it's fairly impossible to avoid doing this regularly, given the demands of modern life, particularly if you're a working parent, but I'm curious to hear the reality of it.

Menas

Parenting forum over here->http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=251

Barry Badrinath

Menas wrote: »

Parenting forum over here->http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=251

Your happy thread should go into the Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows forum.

Jus' sayin'

Nothing wrong with it.

Menas

Wolf Hanssen wrote: »

Your happy thread should go into the Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows forum.

Jus' sayin'

I did not create that thread, It may look like I did, but I didnt! Just sayin.

syklops

DareGod wrote: »

A question for parents and guardians of kids aged ~7 and under. Do you find it almost impossible to avoid plonking your kids in front of the tv for extended periods of time every now and then, or even every day, so that you can get some things done or get some rest yourself? I'd imagine it's fairly impossible to avoid doing this regularly, given the demands of modern life, particularly if you're a working parent, but I'm curious to hear the reality of it.

Not a parent but in 2015 I think you are doing well if you only use the TV as a baby sitter / entertainer now and again. Head over to the parenting forum and you will read stories of tablet-addicted three year olds.

mfceiling

Of course you have to. How else can you clean up the mess in the rest of the house that they've left behind?

pickarooney

Usually put a film on but yeah, there are time when you just don't have the time, energy or inclination to entertain them. During school term it's pretty much school, homework, dinner, wash, storytime, bed. I wouldn't begrudge them a bit of downtime.

The Backwards Man

In my kids were sent outside to some well needed backbreaking hard labour when housework needed doing and only called back in when the funnymen (cartoons) were on. For half an hour.

Sonics2k

Usually if I have something important to do, clean up, do the washing or simply quite tired then I'll put on a movie or let them watch the kids section on Netflix.

It honestly depends on my and their moods, sometimes kids aren't in the mood to play with their toys or draw, maybe the weather is terrible.
Hell, in some cases I just want to watch some TV with them too, some kids shows are disturbingly funny for adults.

andekwarhola

Few parents devote their entire day to entertaining their kids without some recourse to TV, films, or consoles (especially in the winter or bad weather) no matter how much they pretend they do online in front of other SuperParents.

PLL

I see it as a necessary evil. I have a 4 year old, and when in routine and at playschool she only watches a bit of TV. Over the Christmas break she has watched a lot, it irritates me. Over the last few days in preparation for going back to school I haven't let her watch hardly any and have been doing educational workbooks with her between play. She is thankfully great at keeping herself occupied through role play which is great when I need to get things done. I'd love her to watch less in general or not at all but it just isn't possible. I'm a student too and wouldn't get study done at weekends if it wasn't for her watching a bit of TV quietly.

She has a tablet which she uses intermittently and I ensure is educational. It will never be connected to the Internet. She is 4, she doesn't need the Internet. But the games are fantastic, maths and English games and she has learned a lot from them already and she is learning to read through them too, but of course I read real books with her also ;-)

Like everything in life, it's about getting a healthy balance. Too much TV is bad for everyone not just children.

Barry Badrinath

Menas wrote: »

I did not create that thread, It may look like I did, but I didnt! Just sayin.

Goddamnitt Menas!

Stop letting facts and accuracy get in the way of my faux passive aggressiveness.

andekwarhola

"Sonics2k wrote: »

Hell, in some cases I just want to watch some TV with them too, some kids shows are disturbingly funny for adults.

I love Regular Show, Adventure Time and especially Sanjay and Craig. The latter confirms my view that the best /most popular kids TV are the ones parents like watching.

4zn76tysfajdxp

No harm tbh. When I was a kid my parents used to plonk me in front of the telly with a beer and a box of fags and I turned out grand.

cnocbui

I found it cheaper than laudanum.

lukesmom

Yeah mine is never off really. But it's often more of a background thing because they play with their toys and colour etc too. They have their favourite programmes too. They play minecraft on the ps4 my 5 year old daughter really loves it.

Canterelle

Of course, you'd get nothing done otherwise! There's nothing wrong with it either. It's just non-stop tv and pc/games that is bad.

Samaris

Sonics2k wrote: »

Hell, in some cases I just want to watch some TV with them too, some kids shows are disturbingly funny for adults.

I have from time to time found myself paying more attention to Peppa Pig than is at all reasonable for someone over the age of 6.

Although some of them for the toddler group are just plain surreal. In The Night Garden, anyone? O.O

If you haven't been exposed to it, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU0fuxhDwdg

Wait for it to get really weird.

Sonics2k

Samaris wrote: »

I have from time to time found myself paying more attention to Peppa Pig than is at all reasonable for someone over the age of 6.

Although some of them for the toddler group are just plain surreal. In The Night Garden, anyone? O.O

My kids introduced me to Total Drama Island, which the OH and I have been watching when they go to bed.

Not even sorry, I've recommended it to adults who've gotten a laugh out of it too.

Mint Sauce

syklops wrote: »

Not a parent but in 2015 I think you are doing well if you only use the TV as a baby sitter / entertainer now and again. Head over to the parenting forum and you will read stories of tablet-addicted three year olds.

This. I recently had a few youger relatives and their parents stay with me. After breakfast Mum and Dad were pottering arrund the house, packing changing bags, cleaning sand and puke out the car, etc etc, so they put CBBC on to keep them entertained.

I came down, the 5 year old was more interested in game on mum and dads iPad, the 3 year old stacking my table coasters, and the 1 year old was just observing his big brothers. The telly is rarely turned on in their house, so for the odd time it is, they have little interest.

javagal

I let my three year old watch tv, she has her few shows she watches or watches YouTube but mostly only when I'm cleaning. I have no memory of my parents playing with me so I make sure I sit with her for at least an hour a day to colour or play ninja turtles/harry potter or even if she wants to watch tv, I'll get up and dance with her for the songs or make sure I ask her questions about the show to keep her engaged.
Obviously, I'm a stay at home parent at the minute and just have the one for now so it's easy for me to be on my high horse!

Fr_Dougal

It's only right that they have work breaks.

PLL

javagal wrote: »

I have no memory of my parents playing with me so I make sure I sit with her for at least an hour a day to colour or play

Same. My daughter gives me a task to do and gets very excited when I get involved in her play. Special moments that I'll remember forever.

My name is URL

I'd imagine it's fairly impossible to avoid doing this regularly, given the demands of modern life

Modern life sure is a drag. People have more money than ever to spend on **** they don't need

It's only natural that kids and people's responsibility for them get sidelined /s

darkpagandeath

Hang on are they all not being Fraped on FB ??? Or watching to much porn while being molested ?

fatknacker

Monroe Pitiful Spectroscope wrote: »

No harm tbh. When I was a kid my parents used to plonk me in front of the telly with a beer and a box of fags and I turned out grand.

Ah, the ooold radiation king!

maudgonner

Sonics2k wrote: »

My kids introduced me to Total Drama Island, which the OH and I have been watching when they go to bed.

Not even sorry, I've recommended it to adults who've gotten a laugh out of it too.

Total Drama Island is fantastic, a great parody of reality TV.

DareGod

Menas wrote: »

Parenting forum over here->http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=251

I'll do a deal with you. Go and categorise every other thread in AH also and request those be moved to the appropriate forum, too, and then I'll move mine.

melissak

I just watched father of the pride and it is hilarious. The lorax is great too. I love cartoons.

mad muffin

Only today my son wanted to watch tv all day. I told him no!

I said why don't we have an arts and crafts day?! So we proceed to make an AK-47 from paper, cardboard, wood, double sided tape, and duck tape, and pretended we joined ISIS and killed infidels all day long.

Oh the laughs we had… good times, good times.

DareGod

Re: Peppa Pig.

Over Christmas I heard about the "Peppa-tude" theory for the first time, i.e. that Peppa has a bad attitude in many ways, including towards her parents (probably the dad in particular) and lots of parents don't want their kids picking up on her attitude. Tbh, having watched a lot of Peppa Pig over recent years myself, I'd well believe it. Anybody heard anything about Peppa-tude?

Dodge

DareGod wrote: »

Re: Peppa Pig.

Over Christmas I heard about the "Peppa-tude" theory for the first time, i.e. that Peppa has a bad attitude in many ways, including towards her parents (probably the dad in particular) and lots of parents don't want their kids picking up on her attitude. Tbh, having watched a lot of Peppa Pig over recent years myself, I'd well believe it. Anybody heard anything about Peppa-tude?

Yeah, Peppa is a Çunt. Every parent knows this. Most kids can be too. The pig is based on people, not the other way around.

whiskeyman

I plonk my kids in front of the TV for hours at a time.













I've yet to turn on the TV though....

Necro

I don't really see any issue with it. As a few people have said, it's background noise for the most part. I find my young man plays with his toys and intermittently glances at the shows at the same time. The odd time he'll actually sit and watch a full Fireman Sam or something to its equivalent. To whoever was on about In The Night Garden... you're dead right. That programme is clearly written by people on some sort of hallucinogenic drugs - weird does not even describe it!

esforum

DareGod wrote: »

A question for parents and guardians of kids aged ~7 and under. Do you find it almost impossible to avoid plonking your kids in front of the tv for extended periods of time every now and then, or even every day, so that you can get some things done or get some rest yourself? I'd imagine it's fairly impossible to avoid doing this regularly, given the demands of modern life, particularly if you're a working parent, but I'm curious to hear the reality of it.

I wouldnt say impossible but almost unavoidable.

theres absolutely no harm in children watching cartoons for a while, from morning to night? Of course not but an hour or two a day? Its fine. Of course you can also let them play in their room or a playroom if you have one. Some children are perfectly fine playing away for hours on their own or with siblings. Having children close in age to each other is great for this. I have a 3 and 2 year old. They play non stop with each other but also enjoy watching a disney movie as well.

Of course the weather and Irish obsession with the pub doesnt help either. 2 weeks in the summer when its not raining and then its back indoors or being brought to the pub, a great place to bring children :rolleyes:

SEPT 23 1989

zcorpian88

Well my folks plonked us in front of it on rainy days while they were cooking, cleaning and whatever. It's what they are watching is what matters, age appropriate content like. With the ability to record whatever programmes you like with Sky, Freesat and the easy access to the internet, it obliterates the whole thing about adult programs that would normally be scheduled after 9pm when the child could be in bed. Kids are clever they can hit record and watch whatever they like now while you could be busy making a meal.

I remember a while ago my ex girlfriend told me one time, that the siblings of a child she was a home tutor for, the child had an ailment that meant she had to be educated at home, and the two other children aged 9 and 4 were allowed to watch Family Guy, the parents even watched it with them, and I know one of the parents is a primary school teacher!

Now Family Guy I think is pretty inappropriate for a 4 year old, the 9 year old...I don't know. 9 year olds are pretty smart and "with it" these days compared to years ago. Like I was let watch South Park on tv3 as a 9 year old when South Park started out, and when I look back I think "Jesus I was 9" but I guess it didn't do me much harm. At least I think that anyway.

Anyway my ex and I had to babysit those two kids one day as the kids took a shine to my ex and they wanted to make a birthday cake, so my ex and one of the kids whipped up the cake and while it was in the oven the two kids wanted to watch Family Guy, the ex and I looked at each other a bit confused. But we were like "Ah sure they watch it at home, the harm is done" so I put it up on Netflix for them.

I don't think the 4 year old really got the crude humour she'd just laugh at Stewie being silly and giggling. Still found it awkward watching that with them and holding in the laughing at any of the adult stuff that gets said and the other two might ask questions of what I was laughing about!

Azalea

No harm. I mean, being plonked in front of the TV is how I was raised, and I turned out TV.