No TV

No TV today.  It's only 8:20am, and I have said these words to Jack about 32 times already.  He lost his screen time yesterday afternoon after some bad behavior that I won't rehash on here.  Suffice it to say, this consequence was well deserved.  And it's just for today.  Tomorrow, if he can manage not to repeat the same offense, he will get full privileges back. 

I'm not a huge fan of TV.  I feel like it sort of turns our brains to mush, and I know there are at least 18 other things I could be doing that would enrich my life a little more.  With that said, I am completely guilty of zoning out most nights after the kids are in bed and watching HGTV or Grey's Anatomy or Parenthood or some other equally meaningless show.  There's just something relaxing about snuggling up on the sofa and forgetting about my own day for a few minutes.  Clearly I'm not alone in this, as the TV/movie business is thriving.  But I feel guilty all the same. 

And now I feel even more guilty because I have passed this TV torch on to my 4 year old.  Jack loves TV.  Probably even more than an average kid.  And before I go any further, let me say that his screen time is limited.  We are AAP recommendation-abiding parents, after all.  Two hours a day--TOPS--and many days, not nearly that much.  Anyway, when Jack was a one-month-old very colicky baby, we did what any good (okay, desperate) parent would do, and turned on a Baby Einstein video.  He instantly stopped crying!  So in those very long, difficult early days of Jack, he fell in love with his Baby Einstein videos (he only got one a day--why did we torture outselves that way!?) and we grew to love the 24 minutes of pure baby happiness we got when they were on. 

Fast forward to today, and Jack has a veritable menagerie of shows he adores and follows--Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Bubble Guppies, Umizoomi, Little Einsteins, etc.  All of the shows he watches are mostly educational and all display positive social interactions.  I am very picky about what I will allow him to watch.  After all, I do want to protect his eyes, his ears, his heart.  And it is 100% up to us as parents to decide what we allow to speak into our children's lives.  I take that to heart. 

I know that taking away TV time is a consequence that speaks loud and clear to Jack.  It's effective.  Every time he asks to watch, I can remind him of the offense that resulted in losing his favorite pastime.  It gives him extra time to process what happened and what he can do differently next time.  And it requires him to think twice about his choices because he knows that if he makes the same bad choice again, he will lose another day of TV. 

Still, when I hear the sheer number of times he has asked to watch TV this morning, I can't help but question my decision to let him watch TV at all.  I am not a morning person.  And he is.  So most days I start the day by letting the boys watch a show while I have a few minutes to wake up and fix their breakfast and pray for the day.  This morning we were all a little more grumpy than usual because we didn't stick to that routine.  I have spent the better part of this morning contemplating whether I really want to continue that routine or find a different way for us to all start our morning. 

Anyway, I'm curious about your thoughts on this subject.  How do you handle TV in your house?  What is your stance on this issue?   (You can leave comments.  It's okay.)