My Kids Watch TV

When I gave birth to my daughter, I was encouraged at the hospital to sign up with a program called Healthy Families that helps you track your child’s developmental progress from birth to 5 years. I figured why not, I’m new at this so I could probably use all the help I can get. They assigned me a lovely case worker that was finishing her Masters in sociology. She would leave my house amazed every time. “Wow, your kids are very smart. Miesha, you should be proud.” “You are doing an excellent job.” “You can tell that you are reading to them every day and it’s paying off.” She was amazed at how early they learned their colors, and how soon they recognized their alphabet, numbers and shapes. She was impressed with their vocabulary as she spouted off the number of words a child their age should be able to understand and speak according to the national standards. “Amazing, you are my best parent”, she said. I was the mom – a single mom at that – who she chose when her supervisor wanted to tag along on a home visit. But I had a dirty little secret: my kids watched television.

Yes, she had warned me of the dangers of letting toddlers watch TV, and I even read the pamphlets and articles that she provided me stating the same thing; but I couldn’t do it. I was a single mom who worked full time, leaving home early and coming home late in order to get my kids to a sitter across town so that I to get to work on time. I’m not complaining. I believe I have it 1000 times easier than a lot of other single moms out there, but I just wasn’t super woman. You know the one who can work outside the home, cook, clean, bathe the kids, spend quality time, get everything ready for the next day, and still read her two tots a story and say prayers while tucking them in every night all by herself without a hitch and make it look easy. I was not that woman, so sometimes my kids ate fast food for dinner, and sometimes the house looked a mess, and sometimes, yes, sometimes I didn’t get a chance to read them a story before bedtime. But they had their cartoons.

I prefer Noggin, Disney, PBS and even Sprout over Nickelodeon or the Cartoon Network for my kids, because I feel like my kids are being violated when commercials about toys, candy and cereal are shoved down their throats. I know, I know. The experts feel that I shouldn’t have let my little ones watch any television, but as a single mom, cartoons made my life a little easier.

I think I have found a happy medium. The majority of shows I allow my kids to watch have to be educational. I have taken the “why waste our time” approach to selecting shows for my kids. If they don’t learn something – anything – productive, I feel like it’s a waste of time. If it’s not at least the basic colors, numbers, and the alphabet, you learn on Sesame Street, it has to be sharing, hygiene, or another language like on Yo Gabba Gabba, Little Bill, or Ni Hao – Ki lan. There are even cartoons that get your kids ready for reading and comprehension, like Pinky Dinky Doo, or logic and critical thinking, like Max and Ruby. They can even learn vocabulary from Martha Speaks or Pinky Dinky Doo. Spelling? Word World and Super Why. And of course I was going to allow them to watch the Veggie Tales.

Once in a blue moon, I do allow them to watch Sponge Bob, but that’s doesn’t happen very often, because I’m asking myself, ‘what are they learning from watching this?’ They never knew anything different until they started visiting with relatives who allow their children to watch Nick and the Cartoon Network. But they don’t really put up a fuss because they really enjoy the shows that I allow them to watch.

Now, I am not advocating allowing your kids to watch television if you don’t already. But for those of us who do, I think it is wise to be aware that all cartoons are not created equally. If I may give you a few more reasons to convince you that it’s important to pay attention to the cartoons your kids watch. My daughter knew her colors at two without me teaching her. I think it may have been earlier for my son. She started by asking me “Is this red?” It would be blue or green, and I would let her know the difference. Not long after, maybe a few days later, she had it down. It was the same with alphabet and number recognition as well as phonics. My daughter has not started school, but she can read simple phonetically recognizable words. At two-years-old, my son knew all of the phonics and at three he can sound out simple words when prompted. Granted, I do read to them and talk ‘with’ them, and I try to make learning experiences out of everyday occurrences. And I also buy them educational toys and material like any other loving mom would do, but I believe educational cartoons and shows make my job that much easier.

What are your kids watching?