No TV week, continued...

I almost gave in and turned on the TV yesterday.  I wasn't sure I could handle another one of Alex's bad days without it.  But I didn't!  We survived and in fact, he was much better behaved.  It helped that we had some new friends over and they got to run around.  It certainly didn't hurt that he had a nap either.

Genoa did get to watch some Lazy Town last night only because Dave and I took Alex with us to Wal-Mart to do a big grocery shopping trip and she stayed home with Grandma.  It was late and I didn't expect Carol to entertain her alone for almost two hours without the help of Rotten Robbie.  The big perk, though, was that watching TV ended up being a Big Deal to Genoa.  She was so excited to watch her show that she didn't even notice that we'd all left for the store.

This morning was the first time I really noticed a difference in the kids' behavior.  Nobody even asked to watch a show!  It finally stopped raining and before 9AM both kids were running around the back yard dressed in super hero costumes and looking for frogs.  And they weren't fighting!  No one ran inside screaming!  WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THESE!?!?

Eventually I see us incorporating earned TV privileges into our daily routine in which the kids can each earn TV via good behavior, completion of chores, academic work, etc.  I like pretty much any system in which I can bribe my children for things they should be doing anyway.

Comments

[Type (little) a]

We're unintentionally participating in No TV week, too. My daughter acted up at preschool on Monday, and that bought her no TV on Monday, she was out with her Daddy on Tuesday, and Wednesday she acted up AGAIN. She she gets no TV until Sunday.

I'm really enjoying my time with her without the idiot box. I'm thinking of making it a "weekend only" thing, like DVDs currently are.

[Tana]

We haven't been participating in NO TV but Joshua has been losing T.V. privileges for bad behavior. It has been hard but I'm also noticing what a difference it has made having more structured play times (coloring, play dooh, playing games, drawing letters..which we do just not every day..he has loved it all)...he is less bored and has acted out a lot less.
I recently had a conversation with a friend about how the attitudes/imagination play of our children can in fact be a direct result of what they are watching on T.V...well that's novel huh??
I'm all for the rewards and incentives that's just what the "real" world has to offer...better they learn it now than later or they will be in for an "awakening"!

[Katie]

Well, we are moving soon and i thought about how much i actually let my kids watch the tv and i thought about not having the cable follow us. i am not sure it will work for long, but at least long enough for them to realize that they can actually entertain themselves!