I read a new bloggy friend's post, and it made me think about our viewing habits. This is the rambling rant that came out of those thoughts. (Sometimes thinking is overrated! ; )
This week we are taking time off from video games, and TV watching that isn't "mom initiated', meaning we watch together, and I get to choose the content. That goes for all of us; I'm not watching TV that the kids can't watch with me, and I'm trying to seriously limit my time on the computer, which is my grown up version of a video game! No Wii, no DS, and no computer games. This has been in response to the serious amount of whining in relation to these devices, and the constant drone of "I'm bored" if their faces aren't stuck in said devices. IW will literally hop from device to device with no break in between, and they get on them as soon as they get up, and can be found on them up until bedtime. This is just unacceptable. After this week, I am going back to some old standards. No games before lunch (following our mornings are for productivity rule), and only an hour a day. No games after supper (after supper is family time and time with dad when he's home). This is particularly challenging with IW. If it were up to him, game time would be all he did. This really bums me out, but I also realize that his personality may just be different than mine. Husband isn't an avid reader, and he doesn't swoon over learning new obscure dorky things like I do, and yet I've managed to fall madly in love with him! ; )
As for TV, on one hand I'd like to chunk the whole thing out the window, on the other, we've had some great learning experiences together from shows we enjoy. There is a lot to be learned through television; we can experience places we will probably never get to see in person, hear new languages, find new interests and passions, etc. I've found that my values regarding TV are not entirely what I thought they were (as far as homeschooling is concerned). The trick really becomes balancing the positive and useful with the stuff that belongs in the gutter. I don't believe that every single thing we experience in life needs to be "educational" in nature, but on the flip side, I don't think it's okay to watch garbage for entertainment. We are instructed to think about " whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable........ is excellent or praiseworthy". That means something to me. And being people who are home ALL THE TIME, it can be a very slippery slope when you are lenient with TV watching. Next thing you know we'll be found in front of the TV drooling on ourselves and still in our PJs at 4:00 in the afternoon. Not really, but (hopefully) you get my point.
I'm still trying to figure out what the right balance is for our family, but I do lean toward the "less is more" philosophy. And I really like the idea that what we watch, we all watch together. We can avoid the "babysitter" aspect of TV, we can have some pretty cool conversations about what we see, and I'm better able to keep up with what they are putting into their minds, and answer questions or clarify when something sketchy does come up. They're getting older y'all. It's not nearly as often that these things go over their heads unnoticed.
Next week we're supposed to go back to having game time. I'm not planning on announcing the end of the break, but I'm sure the kids will remind me. So far the week has been great. And since I told them we were taking the week off as a kind of experiment to see what kind of awesome stuff we could come up with doing, they don't feel like they're being punished or deprived. They are willing co-conspirators. They haven't whined or complained, and they've only asked to play a couple of times. I'm hoping, in vain I know, that they will not succumb to the draw of video games when the week is out. I don't like being the referee, the watchman, the time-limit enforcing "ruiner of fun". I guess it's just one of those not-so-fun aspects of being mom.
This week we are taking time off from video games, and TV watching that isn't "mom initiated', meaning we watch together, and I get to choose the content. That goes for all of us; I'm not watching TV that the kids can't watch with me, and I'm trying to seriously limit my time on the computer, which is my grown up version of a video game! No Wii, no DS, and no computer games. This has been in response to the serious amount of whining in relation to these devices, and the constant drone of "I'm bored" if their faces aren't stuck in said devices. IW will literally hop from device to device with no break in between, and they get on them as soon as they get up, and can be found on them up until bedtime. This is just unacceptable. After this week, I am going back to some old standards. No games before lunch (following our mornings are for productivity rule), and only an hour a day. No games after supper (after supper is family time and time with dad when he's home). This is particularly challenging with IW. If it were up to him, game time would be all he did. This really bums me out, but I also realize that his personality may just be different than mine. Husband isn't an avid reader, and he doesn't swoon over learning new obscure dorky things like I do, and yet I've managed to fall madly in love with him! ; )
As for TV, on one hand I'd like to chunk the whole thing out the window, on the other, we've had some great learning experiences together from shows we enjoy. There is a lot to be learned through television; we can experience places we will probably never get to see in person, hear new languages, find new interests and passions, etc. I've found that my values regarding TV are not entirely what I thought they were (as far as homeschooling is concerned). The trick really becomes balancing the positive and useful with the stuff that belongs in the gutter. I don't believe that every single thing we experience in life needs to be "educational" in nature, but on the flip side, I don't think it's okay to watch garbage for entertainment. We are instructed to think about " whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable........ is excellent or praiseworthy". That means something to me. And being people who are home ALL THE TIME, it can be a very slippery slope when you are lenient with TV watching. Next thing you know we'll be found in front of the TV drooling on ourselves and still in our PJs at 4:00 in the afternoon. Not really, but (hopefully) you get my point.
I'm still trying to figure out what the right balance is for our family, but I do lean toward the "less is more" philosophy. And I really like the idea that what we watch, we all watch together. We can avoid the "babysitter" aspect of TV, we can have some pretty cool conversations about what we see, and I'm better able to keep up with what they are putting into their minds, and answer questions or clarify when something sketchy does come up. They're getting older y'all. It's not nearly as often that these things go over their heads unnoticed.
Next week we're supposed to go back to having game time. I'm not planning on announcing the end of the break, but I'm sure the kids will remind me. So far the week has been great. And since I told them we were taking the week off as a kind of experiment to see what kind of awesome stuff we could come up with doing, they don't feel like they're being punished or deprived. They are willing co-conspirators. They haven't whined or complained, and they've only asked to play a couple of times. I'm hoping, in vain I know, that they will not succumb to the draw of video games when the week is out. I don't like being the referee, the watchman, the time-limit enforcing "ruiner of fun". I guess it's just one of those not-so-fun aspects of being mom.
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