Hi Moms: This might be a bit of a strange question, so I am hoping someone can help me a bit. I have a 2 yr 3 month old grandson that refuses to watch TV. Granted I am sure some of you think this is a good thing and I agree to a point. My daughter stayed home with him for 1 year to bond and never wanted to introduce him to the TV because she didnt want the TV to babysit him. She is now a full time student. I understand that she didnt want him exposed to TV so soon in his life and thats great because he loves his toys and has a great imagination when he is playing but I feel that he is missing out on things like Sesame Street, and some fun Disney movies. He does know characters though, if you ask him where's Elmo, he can point to him in a book. He loves music and loves to dance, but when I try and get him to watch a cartoon or disney movie, he just isnt interested. He loves Disney "CARS" and I have tried to put the Cars CD on but nope, he will play with his CARS but he wont watch the show. Am I overreacting? How do i get him to watch a movie or cartoon or show some interest in that? I feel like he might be missing out. Or should I?
Moms: After reading all your responses i have come to the conclusion that how my grandson is being raised regarding no TV is a good idea. I know someone asked how my daugher felt about me trying to incorporate TV into his daily routine? Let me just say that I dont do anything that my daughter doesnt want me too. It has been a source of discussion between us and I guess i failed to mention that it was something we both have talked about. My daughter lives with me however, my daughter makes the rules when it comes to her son but as a grandmother and her mother, she looks to me for opinions and input. After all, I did raise her. She watched limited TV growing up but loved her disney videos. I don't feel that it did any harm to her. She grew up wonderfully smart, HS Honor student and currently on the Deans Honor roll in college. Her grandmother (76) and I, when I am not working, do a lot of the raising of my grandson now because of her class schedule, so it was something that I wondered about since it would be nice to give his great grandmother a break during the day sometimes because he is active all day. Though TV is not the answer as I can see, I get that his imagination and creativity is more important and I did discuss this with my mother. She agrees. My daughter feels that; also with time he will get into the TV thing and at that time we will need to monitor his intake. In the meantime, we will continue to keep the TV off and encourage his learning through books and his educational toys. Thank you everyone for your input. Its been 25 years since I raised my girl, so I'm in refresher training mode these days. Thanks again
My little one is exactly the same and the same age. I don't think that they are missing out at all. If anything it is better for them not to sit in front of the tv. She glances at it every once in a while, but that's about it. Maybe take him to a cool movie, like the chip munks and maybe he might like that. Hope this helps.
trust me, don't push it! one day you won't be able to pull him away without a fuss........this is from a concerned mom who is trying to cut back a little on movies and introduce books to her little girl
Please do not worry that he is missing out. There are a few educational shows that are great, but the vast majority of what is on TV is such a waste and pure mind rot. In a few more years, you'll be wondering what you can do to keep him from watching too much TV. Read read read to him. Look at books together. There's no need for him to be a couch potato at 2 yrs old. Now's the time for him to run and play. In three more years and he'll have to sit still in school all day.
Bravo! to your daughter. TV is kind of like junk food. If they don't have it, they don't miss it. BUT peers are the great equalizer and he will discover tv on his own in the coming years. It's great that he doesn't "veg" out and watch tv. It's great that he's able to entertain himself for stretches of time with other activities!
Count your blessings and DO NOT PUSH IT. Trust me he is not missing our on anything! Studies show that TV adds NOTHING to a toddlers development and can actually permanently change the way the brain is wired!
Just leave the TV off and count your blessings!
I wouldn't push him - as you said its great that he isn't plunked down in front of the tv like so many kids are these days! My son is the same age and he rarely watches the tv. If I have to get something done he'll either help me or play independently until I'm finished. They aren't missing out on anything - in fact I would say they're gaining over their peers who do watch a lot of tv as they can use their imaginations and enhance their learning in other ways. He will eventually watch the tv but at this age its not something he can physically touch or manipulate so I find it doesn't hold my sons attention either! Hope this helps!
I think it's a wonderful problem, personally. He is more creative and wants to direct his own playtime. The kids who watch TV are the ones that are missing out!
You don't know how many mom's would pray for this "problem". My advice would be to keep the tv off and the imagination growing!!!
I wouldn't push it too hard. But you said he likes music & dancing. Do you have the Big Bird's Get Up & Dance movie? Big Bird decides to have a dance party for his bear's birthday, so it's Big Bird and a group of kids dancing & teaching the fun dances. He might like that! Or any other music filled, dancing & interactive shows.
Another interactive series my daughter has always loved is Signing Time (http://www.signingtime.com) It teaches kids American Sign Language! Rachel shows you how to do the sign, and then you get to see a bunch of different kids doing the sign. It was great for my daughter. It teaches the ASL, but with it they learn the vocabulary (spoken and ASL) because they are introduced to new words & what they mean (ie when they sign dog, they show a lot of dogs, etc).
I'm sure he will eventually get into watching TV. :)
Having not grown up with TV, and having gotten rid of the family tube when my daughter was in 5th grade, I can enthusiastically report that not having television is not a loss.
And so would my daughter, now mom to a 4yo boy who gets only occasional, carefully controlled video viewing. At my grandson's age, he would love to watch more, but we notice that his attitude deteriorates noticeably after sitting in front of the tube.
Consider the blessings: NOT watching TV means not being exposed to the constant barrage of commercial messages. Avoiding the constant temptations of consumerism is useful in nurturing the fine art of contentment.
And as you note, he would also have less time and attention for the expression of his own rich imagination, creativity, and originality. That could be a real and significant loss. Modern life is littered with distractions that can easily interfere with any of us focusing on our own gifts.
While it's true your son may be "deprived" of a familiarity with many cultural symbols, icons, and fads, he will surely become acquainted with them, simply because he will be growing up in this culture.
I've been without TV for nearly 30 years now, and my life is overflowing with worthwhile projects and interests. My husband and I have no idea how we'd fit more screen time into our satisfying lives. (And I also wonder whether your daughter is okay with you trying to introduce her child to television.)
My daughter didn't like watching TV for more than 5-10 min at a time until she was almost 2. If he will play independently, then there really is no need for TV as a babysitter. I think our daughter got interested after she was sick and we put on a movie then b/c she was too lethargic to do anything but sit on the couch. When your grandson comes around to it (oh, he WILL at some point!), please limit it to no more than 1 30 min show or 2 for a special occasion. There is NO reason for toddlers to watch more than that on a daily basis. What a wonderful problem! :-)
