You Know Your Kids Watch too Much PBS When...

Well, we all start out with the best of intentions. Sometimes we wake up and realize that the original intention wasn't what we needed, or that something else just worked for us a little better. Other times we get sloppy, lazy, or stuck in some bad habits.
When we started out on our parenting journey (admittedly only 6 years and counting), we had an ideal plan which included kids who never watched television but, instead, indulged in classic children's literature and explored through play and Montessori type activities. When our first daughter was born, we didn't even have a television. She would sit with me all day reading books. By the age of three she had sat attentively listening to: All the LITTLE HOUSE books, POLLYANNA, BLACK BEAUTY, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, THE SECRET GARDEN, and many, many more. If my husband & I wanted to watch a movie, we would wait until she was in bed and curl up in front of our 16" computer screen. Eventually, I allowed Micaela to watch a Veggie Tales DVD once a week... then once every other day as we had broken down and bought a television (Pierce was around then and I was off taking care of him and pregnant with Sophia)... Then came baby blues after Sophia's birth and, honestly, I stopped caring. If it was going to keep tham busy for awhile then I was all for it, though they were only allowed to watch PBS and only specific shows. We even actually broke down and ordered cable - tho "just the basics! It's not like we have 300 channels!" THEN came the first trimester of my pregnancy with Seja! Have you ever worn weight belts and tried walking on the bottom of a pool (I actually have - a SCUBA class)? Well, that was my life for nearly 4 months. I would get up and get my kiddos breakfast only to colapse asleep on the couch soon after. So, if the television would keep them satisfied on the couch all day while mommy was passed out, I was okay with that.
Problem #1: it doesn't take long for kids to get accostomed to watching shows all day! So once I made my way off the couch, my poor kiddos were still stuck there hour after hour wanting to see what was going to come on next and "needing" to watch their favorite shows. Problem #2: every show is a child's favorite show. Problem #3: It is much easier to fold & put away the clothes myself than to teach 3 young kiddos how to do it with me (same goes for every other chore). So here is mom stuck in the bad "Television as Babysitter" trap.
Time for a new plan: Balence! Okay, so not all television shows are absolutly horrible and there are some good things that children can learn from the shows they watch, but there are also shows that do not deserve their time and attention. The best way to decide which ones fit your family is to have a fixed set of family values and goals and to screen shows (before your kids get attached to them) to determine whether or not they are a fit for your family (just a side note - which I am dealing with myself - we need to do the same for ourselves and the shows that we spend our time on).
We are currently in a transition of weeding out the not so great shows and paring down on our t.v. time. For myself: there are some shows that I just had to stop watching cold turkey. The values displayed there were just totally contrary to our beliefs and, as they say, "garbage in, garbage out." For the kids: A quote from Micaela. "Pierce, Mommy says, 'Watching too much t.v. rots your brain!' Let's go in the basement and play with our toys instead!" And then there is one of my favorite pieces of "Flair" on FaceBook: "Get off the computor and go play with your kids!" But before I go: You know your kids watch too much PBS when:

~ You know what time it is by what show is on.

~ They interupt your bi-weekly adult conversation to inform you that "Skunks spray! It stinks REALLY bad!" or "When fruits and vegetables get too ripe, they begin to decay!"

~ They look at the outdoor thermometer and say, "Wow, Mom! It's forty two degrees!" And when you ask them who taught them that, they shrug and answer, "George!"

~ They want to know if there is really such a day as "Whistle Pig Wednesday."

~ They have a hard time deciding on their favorite super hero: Princess Pea, Word Girl, or Super T-bone.

~ When they ask for something they add: "Pretty please with dragon berries on top!"

~ They want to try feeding the dog alphabet soup.

~ They run into the room, jump-stop with their hands out infront of them and yell: "PASTRAMI ATTACK!!!!"

~ When you sit down to dinner, your daughter arranges her food according to herown "recipie" and refers to the chicken as "beautiful" and the lettuce as "gorgeous." (This may also occur after too much Food Network television ;-)

~ They use the yard stick to pick up their toy snakes while explaining what species they are, their common habitats, and whether or not they are venomous.

And the #1 way you know that your children are watching too much PBS: You know exactly which programs were refered to in this list ;-)