Comments on: Lazy parenting

By: Martha Brozyna

Martha Brozyna — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:48:26 +0000

My daughter learned how to count in Spanish from preschool. She’s also been introduced to a slew of other subjects like astronomy, biology, geology, geography and art history. She’s been attending a Montessori preschool since she was 2 1/2 and it’s been the best thing. They teach the old-fashioned way with face-to-face interactions between teachers and children. Moreover, children are placed in mixed age groups, so younger children learn from the older ones while the older ones build self-esteem and confidence by teaching the younger children. It’s the way kids have learned for almost all of human history. No gimmicks necessary.

I’m sure TV has some value for children, but I’m one of those “weird” people that simply is not into it. I don’t really watch much TV myself, so it never occurred to me to introduce my children to it. I do have a soft spot for the Travel Channel and true crime documentaries, though, but only in the evenings to unwind. Watching TV during the day, when the kids are up and around, seems to be such a waste of the day. My husband was into TV a bit more than I, but he’s adapted to keeping it off when the kids are around.

By: Bowden Russell

Bowden Russell — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:56:38 +0000

I beg to differ Martha.

My two youngest children learned to count in Spanish soley by watching “Dora the Explorer”.

I’m not a big fan of TV for kids, but it does have some value.

And my 2nd oldest child has learned a lot from playing “Starfall” on the computer. Granted, computers are more interactive, but not much more so than TV.

By: Moralia - Look who’s reading

Moralia - Look who’s reading — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:02:06 +0000

[...] list mentioned today that she knew how I felt about car DVD players since she’d read my blog post about it, and last night my dad (who refuses to use a computer) told me that he’d heard that I wrote [...]

By: Martha Brozyna

Martha Brozyna — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:30:42 +0000

Children are absolutely over entertained. I actually think that parents who stick their kids in front of the TV to watch “educational” programming for hours on end and those with portable DVD players are focused more on sedating their children rather than entertaining them. And please don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about the DVD players used for long trips, I’m talking about the DVD players used at restaurants and family gatherings.

When my husband and I decided to have children we agreed that there would be no TV until the kids were much older. The thought of my children staring with those vacuous, bovine-like expressions on their faces at some screen filled me with dread. Our TV is never on when our kids are around because we don’t even want them to see us watching TV. When we bought our SUV, the salesman was surprised that we specifically requested no DVD player. Has that made our lives harder? You bet. But has it been worth it? Absolutely. My daughter who is now three can entertain herself and has a wonderful imagination. When we’re at a playdate, and the hosting mom puts on a DVD, my daughter is completely uninterested and would rather play on her own or read books.

By: Bev

Bev — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:56:38 +0000

If parents want to eat in peace, hire a babysitter! We have a portable DVD player, and they come in handy for long trips. But otherwise, the thing is never used.

Our children ARE over-entertained. But my standard answer for the lament of “I’m Bored!” is “Go Clean Your Room!” It will never be, “Go watch a movie.”

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:52:43 +0000

Totally agree with your thoughts (except for the DVD player in the car….we’d never make it on 2 day road trips w/o it!). I think its a sad statement that we even need to point out that this is rude. My husband flew next to a family playing the Wiggles DVD for all the flight to hear. How much more annoying that is than hearing you at least attempt to train your child how to behave in public. I’m afraid for what’s happening inside the brains of this over-entertained generation.