TV & Toddlers

The USA Today just published a new study showing that too much time watching tv or playing video games can more than double a child's risk of attention problems. Now, you might be thinking "duh," but I know many children who watch far more than the recommended max of 2 hrs/day given by the American Academy of Pediatrics for children 2+. The recommendation for children under 2 is 0 television.

There are many reasons for this, one major one being that their developing brains can't process the quickly moving images as one fluid action and so it's almost like a strobe light effect and the brains are trained to jump so quickly from image to image that they have a difficult time developing the ability to focus. As they grow, they may be able to grasp the visual stimulation, but can't necessarily connect that if a character behaves badly early on in a show, that chastisement or a negative outcome later on is directly related to that wrong action. The child will mimic whatever they see on television simply because they just do what they see. They aren't necessarily capable of discerning right from wrong, especially when it's shown over the course of a half an hour, rather than explained to them concretely (hitting is wrong, sharing is nice).

Another study of the exposure to television at age 2, found that watching too much TV as toddlers later forecasted:

• a seven percent decrease in classroom engagement;
• a six percent decrease in math achievement (with no harmful effects on later reading);
• a 10 percent increase in victimization by classmates (peer rejection, being teased, assaulted or insulted by other students);
• a 13 percent decrease in weekend physical activity;
• a nine percent decrease in general physical activity;
• a 10 percent peak in snacks intake;
• a five percent increase in BMI.

In our home, we've made it a rule to strictly limit television with our children, particularly to none until over the age of 2. My firstborn is approaching her 2nd birthday, and while we have recently been a bit more lax about it, allowing her to watch one show maybe once a week on a day when she's not napping, or something on a long car ride, we have just re-commited our family to no television for her at all. She's turning 2, so the fallen nature is sadly, starting to show itself more, and I don't want to take any chances. Also, I find that when we give in to one show, she wants to watch another, because it is enticing. It's easy, it's entertaining, but it's not the best thing for her development, as science continues to show us. It is incredibly challenging as a parent to avoid it, and it's certainly not the end of the world if they watch a bit on a special occassion, or when parent is out of commission, but I know it's a habit I want to strive to avoid.

I highly encourage all parents to check out these recent articles:

TV, Video Games and Attention Span

Toddlers and TV

Baby Jonah

I just found a DVD series on Netflix called Baby Miracle. It combines the Baby Einstein type of movie (classical music, kid's narrating, puppets, etc) and Bible stories. Big G is obsessed with Baby Jonah, or "peesh" (fish) as she calls it. The narrator tells the story of Jonah and they teach the kids all about different kinds of sea animals. These movies are a great alternative to Baby Einstein. Might as well teach them a bible story if you can!

Tuning in...or out?

G'day mate! I will be blogging from the land down under for the next few months, as my husband has been temporarily relocated in Australia for work assignment.

That being said, moving to a drastically different timezone on the other side of the world has thrown off some (ok, a lot) of my regular routines. One of these seems so insignificant, yet is worth mentioning: my television viewing schedule. I definitely do not consider myself a couch potato, and I am fairly confident that I watch less tv than the average American. Still, at the end of the day when the baby is finally asleep, my husband and I often enjoy a relaxing tv session (usually one of a few prerecorded series).

Although this country does feature a lot of American shows, we've been disinterested in most of the programs. As a result, the most amazing things are happening: instead of watching TV, we have had more opportunities to pray together, and have been reading to pass the time. As a whole, our evenings have felt more peaceful and more directed towards the Lord.

In writing this post, I became curious about how much tv the average American watches. My researched revealed the magic number of 28 hours per week!! Can you imagine what we could accomplish with an extra 28 hours in our week? Could this be a reason why our relationships are struggling? If you do the math, that comes out to two full weeks out of our year. (In case you are wondering, Australia is not too far behind, with 22 hours per week).

I am not at all writing to tell you that you should not watch television. Rather, I have found myself in a place to reevaluate my habits, and more than anything I am curious about how you manage your "viewing" hours. I heard a challenge recently for newlywed couples to refrain from owning a television for their first year of marriage. I can imagine many graces coming from this decision! I've always known that in the future, when my baby gets older and we enter the stay of "family life", we will have to make some big decisions about the television's role in our home. Now I am beginning to think however, that as young adults we presently have many opportunities for growth and for distraction... So which will it be?

Catholics Come Home

In church a couple Sundays ago they played a sample of some commercials that they are going to show in a couple months around the Seattle area. At the end of it everyone was tearing up, even our priest who had shown the video at least 3 other times that weekend.

It was a video from "Catholics Come Home." So beautiful! Ok - it's not working to embed it, so click here: http://www.catholicscomehome.org/epic/epic120.phtml

Turns out the largest religious group in the US after Catholics is fallen away Catholics. (Where is our sticking power people?) So these videos are designed to go out into TV land and get them back.

I guess they did this campaign in Phoenix and 90,000 Catholic came back. 90,000! That's enough to have to start new parishes just to deal with them all!

So prayers that we get all the resources needed to pull this off. And check out the website: http://www.catholicscomehome.org

Unless you live in a bubble, it is likely that you have heard of the Jon & Kate Plus 8 buzz in the media. In the past few weeks, tabloids, magazines and entertainment news shows have been focusing on the couple's struggling marriage. And from the looks of it, Jon and Kate are riding this media wave despite the effects that it has on their family; the show's ratings are higher than ever.

I've been a fan of the show since its beginnings. Like many, I've enjoyed watching the adorable Gosselin children interact, and have been fascinated by the methods Kate uses to run her large household. For most of us longtime fans however, we started noticing changes long before the affair accusations began. In the past few years the Gosselin family home has become a platform for endorsements and product placement, and it has become difficult to ignore Kate's physical "transformation". Even more, in most recent episodes it became clear that Jon and Kate's playful banter during their on-screen interviews was becoming less playful, and much more bitter. I remember feeling a little sad after watching certain episodes, because Jon and Kate seemed so unhappy.

My dilemna is as follows: I have yet to watch this season's premiere. I have seen a few heartbreaking clips from the episode, and I am struggling to decide whether watching a couple's marriage fall apart is an appropriate form of entertainment. Of course with all of the drama surrounding the family, the temptation to watch is stronger than ever. At the same time, I can't help but to be angry at Jon and Kate for continuing to film, despite their broken marriage. They are clearly not putting their children's needs above the show!

Do you think that a boycott of the reality show is needed? It is unlikely that my personal decision not to watch will make a difference to TLC producers, but will it make a difference in my own life?