Bad Parent: Screen Queen
My daughter watches up to six hours of TV a day.
by Jeanne Sager
March 27, 2008
Somewhere, the me of two years ago is holding her head in her hands. After all, all the media reports will tell you kids shouldn't be watching television at all, let alone all day.
Television commercials — isn't that ironic — are aired daily with suggestions of outdoor activities to get your kids away from the tube. Mommy magazines are full of numbers from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) — zero hours of television recommended for children under two and all that. The AAP says, "Research has shown that children who consistently spend more than four hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight." Their experts say, "Kids who view violent events, such as a kidnapping or murder, are also more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them."
And let's not forget, the AAP says, "Research also indicates that TV consistently reinforces gender-role and racial stereotypes."
So, let me get this straight: I'm raising a fat racist who's afraid of everything, a girl who's going to fall all over herself to let men be the boss.
Tell that to the little girl playing in her toy kitchen in the next room. Her pants are falling off her skinny hips. Tonight she's going to beg, as she does every other night for repeated readings of her favorite bedtime story, Georgie and the Noisy Ghost.
When I finally get her to bed, she'll tell me she loves me.
I sacrifice to the TV gods in exchange for a work-from-home job.
And when I say it back, she'll smile. "'Cause I'm the most beautiful, most smartest girl in the world. I'm smarter than Daddy and everybody."
Oh dear, what am I going to do about her self-esteem?
The truth is, I'm not crazy about all the TV watching in my house — whether it's Jillian or my husband in front of the screen. But I sacrifice to the TV gods in exchange for a work-from-home job, one that lets me spend more time with my daughter but requires me to offer her a smaller piece of my attention during the day.
It's not a daycare provider parking her in front of the screen; it's her mother, the same lady who curls up on the couch for a solid hour in the afternoon, reading Make Way for Ducklings and Goodnight Moon. It's the same woman who spends bath time giving voices to the rubber duckies and spelling with foam letters on the wall.
It's her mother, who will kiss her goodnight and tell her she's the smartest and most beautiful girl in the world, and that yes, she can watch Elmo in Grouchland in the morning.
Photo by Wendy Sellers
©2008 Jeanne Sager and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Jeanne Sager is a freelance writer and photographer living in upstate New York with her husband and daughter, Jillian. She maintains a blog of her award-winning columns at jeannesager.blogspot.com. |
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