tv and your toddler

watching tv and your toddler.

TV and kids-- the ever welcome baby-sitter…or is it?

TV and kids--the monster invading your toddler’s life…or is it?

There is a happy medium and neither of the above are exclusively correct, but parents definitely need to scope out and be aware of what is going on in their children's tv watching.

The positives of tv and your toddler watching it are that it can be a learning medium. It can be an entertainer and it can, at times, serve to give your child a time to just ‘veg’ out.

There are numerous negatives with tv and your toddler watching it if it gets excessive or out of control.

When children are glued to the tube they are missing out on active indoor and outdoor play. They are missing out on valuable social interactions.

The trance-like state they enter after staring for hours can be wearing on their bodies.

What is needed from parents in regard to tv and your toddler is a willingness for parents to talk with their children about what their children are viewing.

Parents need to regulate and limit watching time and content. Parents need to be involved enough with their kids to provide enough activity so that tv doesn’t become an obsession. When children are small they need to be taught ways to entertain themselves as well as being allowed to create their own entertainment.

TV in and of itself isn’t the villain but it is an endeavor that needs supervision and parent participation.

It might surprise you what appeals to toddlers! It always surprises me. Those high squeaky voices, elongated speech, and Mr. Rogers mentality (is he still on-—a great show for toddlers). Kids love some of the shows we adults might gag at but they are far more healthy than a steady diet of murder and mayhem.

Somewhere I read the number (which I don’t recall) of murders a child has seen simulated on TV by the time they are teen-agers. It was shockingly numerous.

My question is why? Why do children need to be exposed and subjected to that kind of violence and stimulation. Young children aren’t mature enough to cope with or to mentally process the violence they see.

If they do see the occasional inappropriate show, it’s not going to turn them into bad adults, but it is important that parents talk with them about what they have watched.

Sex is natural and beautiful. But every detail of sex is not appropriate for toddlers and young children to view. If your child happens to view a sexual encounter on TV and has questions, don’t respond in a disdainful or fearful or shocking way. The more un-dramatically you talk about the subject, the more the attitude of your child will grow to be healthy. Be honest but don’t overdo your explanations for young children.

Some think scary shows are good for kids to experience. It is not my opinion that they are good for toddlers. There are degrees of learning in reading fairy tales to kids in that children learn that there are solutions to big problems and that sometimes in order to get to the end of a hard task, there are sacrifices and hurdels to leap. But scary scenes in television shows have become quite graphic and in your face. You don't want to tramatize your toddler so a watchful eye on what is on the television when toddlers are present is an important thing to tune into.