There is no question in my mind that kids today watch too much television. Not a shred of doubt. Agreed. It's a problem.
I am also willing to admit that Belle, my precious (and precocious) eight-year-old, watches more than her share.
What occurred to me the other day, though, is that this is not a new problem. No, not Belle watching too much TV ... that's only been a problem for seven years or so. But, seriously, it really is more of a universal concern.
Okay, here's what happened. I had a stroke of ... well, brilliance is probably too strong a word, but at least it was a very telling realization.
My mother is always on me about the amount of TV Belle watches. Like, it's a borderline serious issue between the two of us.
I always try to point out that
1) Belle isn't a passive TV watcher. She is almost always doing stuff while watching television.
2) The occasions when Belle does sack out in front of the TV almost always follow extensive outdoor ventures.
3) Belle is a voracious reader and would frequently rather sack out with a book than with Victorious or iCarly.
None of that cuts much dice with mi madre.
But then I remembered something--namely, the entire movie script from Labyrinth, which my siblings and I watched near-obsessively when we were kids. And a whole list of movies scrolled through my mind--Ghostbusters, The Neverending Story, Jaws, Back to the Future, the original three Star Wars films, Spaceballs, The Goonies, The Legend of Billie Jean, Ghostbusters, Heathers, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Dark Crystal, and dozen of others.
Basically, my mother didn't seem to care as much that her own kids were watching so much television that their brains were turning to mush.
I don't write this to bash on my mom; I truly believe that first, she wants to make sure that her grandchildren have the absolute best and second, that her memory is selective with regards to this.
The fact that I can say without the shadow of a doubt that my sibs and I watched far more television than Belle does means very little in the great scheme of things. My brother and sister don't watch TV excessively as adults, and I almost never watch TV at all.
I guess it's more the selective memory that my mother exemplified ... and the realization that I and pretty much everyone I know is guilty of that same sort of rewriting of history, if only in their minds.
Why do we lie to ourselves about things that, when push comes to shove, really don't matter at all? And do we believe ourselves?
I don't write this to bash on my mom; I truly believe that first, she wants to make sure that her grandchildren have the absolute best and second, that her memory is selective with regards to this.
The fact that I can say without the shadow of a doubt that my sibs and I watched far more television than Belle does means very little in the great scheme of things. My brother and sister don't watch TV excessively as adults, and I almost never watch TV at all.
I guess it's more the selective memory that my mother exemplified ... and the realization that I and pretty much everyone I know is guilty of that same sort of rewriting of history, if only in their minds.
Why do we lie to ourselves about things that, when push comes to shove, really don't matter at all? And do we believe ourselves?
.JPG)
Too much is made of excessive tv watching. Most tv entertainment for kids is just background noise while they are also involved in other activities. Just seek a good balance in all areas of our lives, our children's lives too.
ReplyDeleteTrue, that :-)
DeleteWell let me propose this theory instead. Your mother isn't having selective memory. She knows just how much tv you and your siblings watched, and she's learned from what she may consider her own "mistake". Often the reason grandparents want things better for their grandkids than their own offspring is usually that they've learned from what they may feel they did wrong with their own kids. Don't doubt a second generation parent :) Though Belle seems happy and healthy, and I think you've got a good kid there. She likes outdoor activity, and reading, she's not about to turn her brain to mush with TV.
ReplyDeleteOne of my weaknesses as a writer is that I have a tendency to leave something out and assume that people will somehow infer it. My mother and I have had heated conversations, and according to her, we NEVER watched television as kids ... we were always outside playing, with is pure BS. I agree that her intentions are good, but the selective memory when she slams on something she herself did all the time drives me bananas ;-)
DeleteMaybe it's more about what she thinks she did wrong as a mother and wants to correct now. And I don't think it's necessarily the quantity of TV that is bad, just the quality. Keep her away from ALL reality TV!!
ReplyDeleteFunny that you mention that ... I caught her watching "America's Next Top Model" the other day. I was very depressed, to say the least (I try not to talk about this too much, but Belle is an aspiring model/actress, so the scary thing was that she really GOT the runway concepts and made the same observations as the judges and ... eeek, you're right, no more reality TV)
DeleteI am a sucker for blogs where people share their magnificent daily lives. Thanks for following the Cave of Cool. I had to check your stuff out too.
ReplyDeleteWell, the Cave of Cool is pretty ... well, cool :-)
DeleteI know I watched too much TV when I was young, but given that my father had the thing on almost from the time he came in from work, andwatched even more when he retired, that's no surprise. We even had TVs in our bedrooms.
ReplyDeleteMy kids watch far less TV, but do spend a lot of time on the computer...errr...not that I'm a good example of that.
Nancy could well be right about you're mum and is spot on with reagrd to the quality of TV.
Yeah, I get that guilty urge when I think about all the time I spend on the computer ;-)
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