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By Mom Unplugged, March 24, 2007 9:17 am

It’s been a while since I talked about TV-free kids, so let me run a recent experience by you all for a reality check:

Last week, I was helping set up a school book fair along with some other parents. Our collective children were all happily playing together on the school playground in the gorgeous spring-like weather. When we had finished, we decided to stay a little longer to let them play in the lovely warm weather.

For an unknown reason a parent decided to pop a Blue’s Clues video into the VCR. Right away the kids somehow heard it, smelled it like dogs, or sensed the change in electromagnetic activity emanating from the building. Within a minute or two there were three kids, then five, then eventually all the kids (including mine), sitting mesmerized, mouths agape, in front of the TV. No one seemed to notice. I was amazed at the children’s reaction, yet no one else SAW!

Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I quietly told my two that if they were just going to sit inside on this beautiful day watching videos we would go home. They protested but I insisted (it was probably one of those eye-rolling, “oh Mom, how embarrassing” and “you’ve scarred me for life” moments for them). The other adults then seemed to finally realize that all the kids had gravitated indoors, and the parent who had started the video said: “It IS a lovely day” and turned it off. The kids ran back outside and continued their happy play.

OK, we have no TV reception at home. Living in the Arizona wilds, if you don’t have cable or satellite, you don’t get ANYTHING. Even the best antenna won’t get you any local Phoenix or Tucson channels. My kids are allowed to watch videos from time to time, but they hardly ever request them. When we go away they are allowed to watch TV (in limited doses) at the hotel. I do not think that the TV is “The Big Evil Box” that their innocent eyes may never regard, Satan’s tool and all that. I am not radical about this, however I do think that at home (or at school, especially on a gorgeous Spring day), there are better things to do than to watch TV.

Blue’s Clues is a fine show, but I believe that kids should play, use their imaginations, draw pictures, read books, exercise their curiosity…act like kids! They don’t need a TV to magnetically draw them in. They don’t need toys that talk and flash at them and tell them how to use them (but that is another topic for another day).

I hope I don’t sound stuffy or “fuddy-duddy.” I didn’t mean to cause an “incident.” But what is the magical attraction of the TV? I don’t know. Do you?

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By Mom Unplugged, March 12, 2007 11:03 am

I have two ideas to present in today’s post:

1) DON’T FORGET FRIENDS

A TV-free Mom friend wants me to write a post about how friends can help the anti-TV effort.

This friend is working on a Master’s degree and had an important deadline to meet on Friday. Unfortunately Friday was a half day at school. I picked her daughter up, gave her lunch and then she and my kids played happily until her Mom was through with her assignment. My friend was grateful since her only other desperate option would probably have been to sit her daughter down in front of the TV with a series of videos.

This was a win-win for all! My friend completed her work on time, her daughter and my kids had a great afternoon, and I was able to do some things around the house because my kids were so busy playing with a buddy.

My friend would like to remind people to consider friends as a resource for turning off the TV. When you absolutely, positively need to get some alone-time for an important task (or even just to regain a little sanity), call a friend and everyone benefits!

2) CLUTTER BUSTER - ORGANIZE THE ART

Idea number two is an organizing tip that works well for us. What do you do with all the art work that your TV-free kids create? The refrigerator is the traditional display area, but we recently remodeled the kitchen and have a stainless steel fridge (non-magnetic).

I picked a bare wall in the playroom and hung two lengths of string by tying the ends around thumbtacks in the wall. For a more modern-look, you could also use wire. We hang the most recent masterpieces on the string using clothespins.

The kids enjoy hanging the pictures and seeing their efforts nicely displayed on the wall. It makes a cool focal point for the room and is easy to change when the mood strikes!

UPDATE: Here is another great art-organizing idea from a reader-comment:

“My favorite idea for getting rid of art or schoolwork clutter is mailing “care” packages to grandparents. (A favorite aunt & uncle would work too!) The grandparents love seeing what the grandkids are doing and the kids enjoy showing off their work with others and it eliminates the guilt and/or hurt feelings from throwing the item away.”

I like that idea because I hate throwing it away, but you just can’t keep it all (even a packrat like me). Thanks for the input!

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By Mom Unplugged, March 9, 2007 4:30 pm

I have just found the following great post which might be of interest to some of my readers:

The Not Quite Crunchy Parent: Old Fashioned Play is a great Thursday 13 by Mom, MC Milker. She lists 13 low-tech but fun activities to do with your kids instead of organized sports (or TV?). This is one of my favorite topics too!

Thanks to morguefile.com and photographer Zach Carter for this great photo!

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By Mom Unplugged, March 7, 2007 11:07 am

Before my first child was born in 2000, my thoughts had already turned to how to raise her. I do believe that much of who we are comes “pre-programmed.” However, as all parents know, it is nonetheless thoroughly daunting to imagine providing a life for another human being. One thing I knew was that I did not want her to become an MTV and video-game obsessed teen, lazy and unable to think and act creatively.

Being an “older Mom” (I hate that term!), I found myself having those fuddy-duddy, “back in my day” type of thoughts. It was in my post-partum turmoil of hormones and angst that I stumbled upon Katrina Kenison’s soothing book Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry . My unsettled state was fertile ground for the author’s message that simplifying our children’s lives is satisfying and possible. The book left me full of warm fuzzy feelings and encouragement that one can create a simpler family environment.

I was filled anew with determination to raise my daughter more simply: no TV, simpler toys, fewer organized activities. I wanted her to have time to just be a child.

If anyone out there is contemplating these issues for themselves and wants a warm, little boost of encouragement, try this inspirational book. When I feel discouragement setting in, I reach for the “Mitten Strings” and read a chapter or two. That’s usually all it takes to set me right.

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By Mom Unplugged, March 2, 2007 8:31 am

Martha Beck wrote an article in the March 2007 issue of “Oprah” magazine (see “Martha Beck’s 5 Best Pieces of Advice,” p.91) in which she takes the position that TV is like a vitamin, necessary in small doses everyday, but toxic if overused. She believes that exposure to TV is necessary for healthy social development in children. Having grown up without TV, she was bullied for her lack of pop culture knowledge.

While this may have been her unfortunate experience, I have to say that I have not found that to be true yet with my children. Somehow, kids seem to absorb a huge amount of pop culture knowledge on the school playground. They know who Sponge Bob, the Disney Princesses and the Power Rangers are without ever having seen them on TV or in film.

Here is a link to that article online if you are interested:

Television is a Vitamin (Martha Beck)

What do you think?