Pulling the Plug

I started letting Liam watch TV (all preschool shows...pbs, sprout, and noggin) when Ben was born in July. He was only 18 months old, but it was something that could keep his attention while I was attending to the newborn. Well, with this cold winter that has kept us indoors, a very energetic and daring boy (he literally climbs walls),and our digital cable that gives us two 24 hour preschool channels, Liam got hooked. Big time. He'd want to watch as soon as he got up, during his meals, and until bedtime. Of course I didn't let him ALL the time, but a lot of the time I gave in to his obsession. Plus it came in handy when I had to change the laundry, put Ben down for a nap, and admittedly, check email. TV is no more. Well, not on our main level anyway. We still have one in our bedroom, and the big one downstairs, but not where we spend most of our day. The big kids were starting to complain, and I was dreading any and all shows and even the musical or educational interludes. To its credit, the shows are quite educational, but the sheer volume that he was watching was probably affecting his brain development.

We made it through day one today. We had some hard times, especially after his nap when he usually comes down, has milk and watches something. At one point he kept spinning in circles looking for the TV. He searched under the side table for the remotes. He gave out a couple random "eez"s (translation "please") and I'm sure I know what he was asking for. But we also did some fun stuff today. We played a lot with his play kitchen, which we put in place of the TV. We spent a lot more time listening to music, dancing and playing with instruments. Even though we did watch the Superbowl in the basement, I feel a lot calmer, and so good about our decision. I'm sure we'll have an adjustment period through this week or even month, but it's all for the best. Wish me luck!