momAgenda Blog

TV-watching Redeemed!

June 7, 2007 9:47 AM

I have always harbored this secret fear that, because I let me kids watch TV occasionally, (ok more than occasionally), I am actually a really bad mommy. But let's be honest: there are certain situations in which only the TV can solve the problem. A cranky, tired, inconsolable 3-year-old at 4:30 in the afternoon? Just turn on the Backyardigans and he is quiet as a mouse. How about 3 school-age kids fighting over who get to use the computer? Just turn on the Suite Life of Zack and Cody and they all are friends again.
Please don't judge me all you perfect mommies out there: I want my kids outside as often as possible, and I challenge them to reading competitions all the time (e.g. the first one to read 5 books gets a night out to dinner alone with me). My mantra with my kids is BALANCE. If you play a little, work a little, do some chores, do some reading, run around a bit, have some alone time, and yes, spend some time watching tv, then you have balance.
But once in a while I wonder if they are getting any benefit at all from their tv time each day. This article, from our friends at Mommytrack'd.com, made me feel much better about that; research actually supports the idea that children benefit from a bit of tv! Here is a short excerpt:

"For those who are over two, there is a huge amount of research about the positive benefits of educational media, including predicting school readiness, building vocabulary, and other kinds of developmental skills. And those benefits extend into high school. Kids who watched “Sesame Street” as a preschooler have higher grade point averages when they get to high school."

So check out the article and pat yourselves on the back! When you turn on the tv for your sanity, you are doing your child a favor!

http://www.mommytrackd.com/hottopics_detail.php?id=33

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