About a year ago, when we moved from Boston to New York, we decided not to hook up the cable television. Before we moved, with babies in the house, we’d already cut back on TV watching. We always tried to mute all the commercials, but even with that my 3 year old sons could tell you that Rachel Ray “always stops at Dunkin Donuts,” and that Foxwoods (casino) is a good place to play games, have dinner and go dancing!
Having no cable TV has been freeing. Now, we watch DVDs with the boys – shows that we all enjoy and without commercial interruptions. We also get DVDs from Netflix, the library and borrow them from friends. When the boys are asleep, I can watch the shows I like on the internet. All in all, we watch infrequently. What I really don’t miss is the incessant babbling from the corner of the room, with shiny, happy people telling what I need to buy – and the urge I had to flip channels looking for the something better. We save money with the cable bill and by not getting tricked into buying things we don’t need.
Now, a new study reveals another good reason, as reported in today’s New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/health/research/16chil.html
“Conversations between children and their caregivers decrease measurably when a television is on nearby, even if no one is watching it.” The study is from the University of Washington medical school and the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. When language is such a vital part of children’s development – the implications are clear.
Cutting the cable – another good idea that’s good for your kids and good for your wallet!
I've definitely seen a difference in my kids since I became a 'mean mommy' and put my foot down about turning off the TV/computer/DS when they had reached their time limit. They complain for a few minutes that they are bored but then they usually find something much more creative to do–inventing a game with each other, reading, or we play a game or do a project, or whatever. They get outside and play more and seem to fight less and be less grumpy at bedtime. I thought it would be a more subtle thing, but it was a pretty dramatic effect.
Marian, I know what you mean about the initial grumbles…if you can get past those, the kids can almost always find something creative to do. I love that your kids are fighting less and are less grumpy at bedtime – certainly incentive to stick to the "mean mommy" routine! Excellent.