Yes, I too was pretty busy as a kid, playing outside and stuff. I certainly didn’t watch much TV. I’m not going to use sesame street to teach my child anything. My wife and I can teach him or her to read, count, to play fair, etc.
play fair, bah man its all about who gets the blocks first, and if people try to take them (Lee) you throw them at them.
I learned a HELL of a lot from watching Sesame Street. I was the only kid in Pre-School (3-4 yrs old) who knew how to count to 10 in Spanish, and English before I even walked in the door.
It’s sad these days when you have kids entering grade 1 that can’t even read or print yet. It’s even more sad, that these same kids make it all the way to grade 10 before anything is done about it.
I learned quite a bit from television as a child as well. I think it quite normal to let your young child watch some educational television. I think it is healthy to show them the outside world in a safe manner. Wouldn’t want them to grow up being like that neighbour kid on the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen. hahahaaa
Interesting thoughts. Don’t books also show the “outside world in a safe manner”? Plus the chilld may pickup some literacy as well.
Obviously that too, but depriving them of what the world around them gets to experience is not something I plan on doing with my children. I’ll let them decide if they want to view a healthy amount of television, or not.
You threw blocks at Lee? Aww. Did he cry?
[quote=“Dave”]
Interesting thoughts. Don’t books also show the “outside world in a safe manner”? Plus the chilld may pickup some literacy as well.[/quote]
How can a child see what an animal looks like unless they see it first person? It’s much better to take a child to a zoo or show them what an animal looks like on tv, than show them a non-moving 2 dimensional figure in a book.
Books are great, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t want my child to learn about the world solely from a book.
I don’t think it is obvious that a home with children should also be a home with books. If it were obvious we probably wouldn’t need intense early intervention to teach some students what a book is and what print is for. What’s a healthy amount of television? Is this amount going to change as the child grows older? How are you going to let a child decide?
Last time I saw my 2 year old nephew, I took him to the St. John’s Regatta (North America’s oldest sporting event, whatever that means).
We saw a big duck (actually, I think it was a human inside a big duck costume). My nephew proceeded to speak Spanish to the duck, calling him a “Patito” or something like that, and using lots of Spanish. Which is very weird, since his father is Portuguese, and he didn’t use Portuguese words, it was quite distinctly Spanish.
Well, on further investigation, it turns out he had been watching Dora the Explorer, and was quite familiar with the Spanish words for waterfowl.
TV isn’t all bad. Unattended TV babysitting is bad.
Books are great things for developing imagination. I can’t stop reading. But that doesn’t mean I don’t watch TV/Movies as well. I remember being a kid and watching war documentaries with my dad. Hearing and seeing the horrors of war from the people who experienced it had a great impact on me. Its so easy to read about wars and conflicts and brush them away, but when you see dead bodies being piled up, or the someone retelling their experience in concentration camps you can’t deny it.
That’s cool Lemrac!! It’s great that you mentioned you and your father. I’m sure your dad probably answered questions that came to your mind. Or helped you understand what you saw.
As MiG said, TV as a babysitter is bad…
Goooo Ducks (University of Oregon)
i was going to put inmy 2c but
Lemrac: concentrations camps?
godwin’s law…
I was going to reply to you herbie, but I was busy watching TV. As of Monday no TV for a week. At least I can still have chocolate.
Does downloading television programs from the internet and then watching them on my computer constitute a violation of “National TV Turn Off Week”?
Are stupid questions (with the inability for anyone to answer them) really necessary?
Yes. I hear ER is new this week and I’m not allowed to even tape it. My wife will keep me honest.
Nope, as long as you watch them on a computer screen instead of a tv I don’t see the problem. 
[quote=“smartass”]
Nope, as long as you watch them on a computer screen instead of a tv I don’t see the problem. [/quote]
I suppose I could use a VCR to record all the TV I’m missing this week, but that isn’t in the spirit of the event. Plus, next week I’d have twice as much TV to watch (which for some might be an enjoyable state to be in). The point is to watch less TV not more.
[quote=“Dave”]
I don’t think it is obvious that a home with children should also be a home with books. If it were obvious we probably wouldn’t need intense early intervention to teach some students what a book is and what print is for. What’s a healthy amount of television? Is this amount going to change as the child grows older? How are you going to let a child decide?[/quote]
The amount of television that a person feels is healthy, is entirely up to that person. In my eyes, a few hours a week isn’t unhealthy.
I must live a really sheltered life, but I do not know one home with children, that doesn’t have books in it.
I am going to let my children decide if they want to watch the healthy amount of television, or not. ( And I am not saying i am going to give my kids everything they want either, I am going to be fair with them.)
And mainly, not deprive them of society has to offer. From my own personal experience, when my parents tried denying me of things, I rebelled.