My child is pretty big on being outside. She's always wanting to run around, and play in the dirt. I'm actually really grateful for this because it keeps her active. I've also heard that it helps with her imagination. However, now that the time change has kicked over it's getting dark out by 6 pm here which is around the time I usually get home. So we've switch over to board games, play time in her room, or a bit more screen time. She usually opts for the extra screen time. Which is great when I'm trying to get things cleaned up, dinner started, and planning for the next day. Yea, I'm guilty of using the TV as a babysitter. But have you ever sat down, watched a "family" TV show, and really dissected what was being presented? I'm all for Game of Thrones, Supergirl, Big Bang Theory, Chicago PD & Fire, Broad City and even some kids show on Disney to name a few. Obviously some of those listed are NOT for kids, and of course we don't let her watch them. What I didn't really notice until about a year ago was how much is presented in these shows. Some are supposed to be family friendly, and on family friendly networks. It seems as the years go by the standards, and what's acceptable seem to slowly blur. Even some of Em's favorite kid channel shows/movies have caused me to do double takes. And it's not always because of sexual content. Sometimes it's the attitude, the lack of respect towards adults, and the name calling that catches my attention. Which has caused me to sit down, and really look at what's being shown to my daughter.
If you have young children I'm sure you've heard about Caillou. If you haven't yet: run. Run as far away as you can. This was a show that my daughter watched when she was about three, and if you've ever seen it you'll notice just how whiny that little boy can be. I think we had to deal with a few too many tantrums because of that show. Once we stopped allowing her to watch it she had less of them. Then we moved on to some older shows on Disney & Nickelodeon once she turned five. Now there are times when we'll let her sit, and watch some of the shows we enjoy. She really likes Supergirl and Big Bang, but even those straddle a line. More often than not we have to tell her to cover her eyes, inform her that what's going on isn't real, or that what's being said isn't something to repeat. We've also had to address the two mom, and two dad family dynamics. And this was over on ABC Family (before it was switched to Freeform) as well as on Disney. We've had to talk about two men kissing, and two women kissing. I had to have a sit down a few months ago about how we don't call people idiots, dumb, stupid, or retarded. Our family (parenting choice) in regards to words is really pretty loose. She's heard some things come out of my mouth as well as her father's, and we don't punish her for repeating some things. We do however discipline if she's using them, and even some that aren't considered "bad words" in a hateful way. To cause harm or to insult someone. That's not tolerated in our household. Also, have any of you noticed how much the word "sex" as well as the actual act get thrown into these shows as well? Whether it's fully in your face, or just subtly hinted. Right now she hasn't asked about what it means or what is being talked about, but I know it'll happen sooner rather than later. And she's only six. So because of this I started looking into shows that were "clean", and truly family friendly. What was a bit astonishing to me is just how little there are.
Some of the stuff out there I know we can't avoid. And I'm not trying to be a helicopter parent that keeps my child extremely sheltered. A lot of the conversations that some of these shows started were ones that we had fully planned on addressing anyway. I just didn't think we'd be doing it this soon. So now I'm a bit more mindful of what she's watching, and what they're talking about. I've looked into some websites that have suggestions for family shows. I've found that Common Sense Media is actually a pretty helpful tool for this. I'm now really big on watching the ratings when TV shows start (left hand corner of the screen). On both the Netflix, and Hulu accounts she has the children settings active on her tablet. Anything else she has to have permission to watch first, or it's something that we all sit down to watch as a family. I don't want a television show to be teaching my daughter certain things yet. I don't want her to learn something, and not be old enough to really understand it yet. I've actually come across two shows (one thanks to my mom), that we've both become really addicted to. I'll write a bit more on those later. I guess more than anything I just want her innocence to last longer. I make sure to have discussions, and let her know that I'm always available for any questions she might have. This also applies to books, things she hears at school, and basically everything else. But I still want to be able to address some of these topics on my own timeline. Not because it's something that she saw on TV.
I've actually really started to get into some more faith based or faith incorporated TV series as well as movies. Sometimes, they help me explain certain questions Emery has about our faith. Sometimes they set some pretty good examples in regards to kindness, compassion, and being humble. But I still allow her to watch the normal stuff that she likes. I just pay closer attention these days. So what do you think? Are there any TV show suggestions you have? Movies? Am I trying to shelter too much? Maybe I am overthinking it, but right now this is what works for us. I'm always looking for ideas though. I thought about taking out screen time altogether, but that would apply to me as well. And I'm sooo not ready to give that up just yet. 😄
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