Am I a bad mom?
I hesitate in admitting that this is a picture of Luke watching a DVD. When Luke was very small, our computer was in the bedroom with his crib. I heard that some videos including Blue's Clue's, actually have proven studies that claim they make your kids smarter. So with the idea that I want my child to learn while distracting him from whatever I need to get done, I thought it couldn't hurt. I was so impressed that he could stand at the foot of his crib and watch between 1/2 hour and 45 minutes of Blue and Steve. Now I am afraid that I have permanently damaged him. He now has upgraded himself to the computer chair and as you can see zones out to now almost any video. I try to keep them somewhat educational, baby French, Right and Left brain development, and now baby signing. But do they really work? I ask myself that daily, but when it comes down to it, it is so much easier than constantly trying to come up with something different to entertain him. Sometimes I feel better when I see him clapping along to a song, or smiling when it gets to his favorite part, but mostly he looks like this.
My dad recently read an article that babies shouldn't watch TV before the age of 2. Something about the fact they can't differentiate between reality and what is on the screen. But I am pretty sure when Luke climbs on the chair, grabs the computer remote, trying to activate a movie, he knows what he is up to.
Monday, May 21, 2007 at 5:55AM
Reader Comments (6)
i can' t stop laughing- luke's face in the first picture is perfect. if you're a bad mom then i am in serious trouble. at least he's maybe absorbing sign language and french. my girls are learning to hit and pull hair from annie and how to cry and throw themselves on the bed from sleeping beauty.
Good gracious I have the world's cutest nephew. And I don't think you are a bad mom, I think maybe he's just starting to take after his auntie Tara a little too much. If he starts watching 90210 and wishes that Dylan McKay could come over and play, then maybe there needs to be an intervention. Cause 1, if Dylan Mckay is coming to anyone's house to play, it's mine and he can only come if he's the Dylan from "high school" and not the Dylan that came back all not pretty, and 2, well 1 covered it so enough said. Besides I'm fairly certain his french watching has paid off. Whenever I talk to Lukey I can't understand a word he says.
those are the funniest pictures of all time. i read an article that talked about the possible link between autism, ADHD, and television watching in children under 2. they made a good enough argument to make us not let elliot watch tv - but i think that you're right that there are a lot of really educational shows out there made just for kids. and i think elliot already has ADHD and he's only seen a few minutes of tv in his entire life.
so what you're saying sarah is
1) Luke is doomed
2) I am a bad mom
Well, I have realized that it is time for Luke to detox. Starting today. The computer and t.v. stays off until Luke is asleep....its killing me.
That first picture is priceless!! I have 3 boys and have seen that face many times but have not photographed it. That's now on my "to do". You're not a bad mom, Blues Clues is educational. ;-}
Luke is brilliant! Don't worry about a little TV. It is good for him and it is good for you. Isn’t it better for him to have a happy mom that is not aggravated and looking to throttle him because she is at the end of her ever shrinking rope? Blue rules. Joe and Steve suck. The next steps are Elmo and Dora… TV can be a tool; it does not have to be the enemy.