I used to think so. Don't get me wrong, I have a few shows that I like (The Biggest Loser, What Not to Wear...real works of art!), but for the most part, I leave it off. I especially hated television when I worked full time. I got so overstimulated during the day at work that I just wanted some quite time at home. Now, I can leave it on just to have some adult "interaction". I never slept with the TV on, but I do now because Gary likes it on sometimes and that's just what kind of person I am :)
Recently, Gavin has taken a real interest in TV. First, it was 15 minutes of Elmo before bedtime. Then, it was 30 minutes of Mickey before bedtime. Now, it's 30-45 minutes of "Cars" at night and sometimes during the day when I have to take a shower or cook. I was always opposed to that mom who let the TV "babysit", if you will. But I realize that it really comes in handy sometimes. Especially since Gavin has gone down to 1 nap. I used to take a shower during his first nap and then run errands, etc, after he woke up. Now, if I wait for him to nap, half the day is gone! So, I pop in a movie ("Cars"), and I trust him to sit there unsupervised for a small increments of time. I'm trying not to feel guilty about his TV consumption. I'm starting to think it's like anything else...it's ok in moderation. You know, like sweets? You don't want your kid to be the one devouring all the cookies he decorated in class before he can show you because he knows you won't let him eat one or two. So, I give in a couple times a day and let him watch TV. It works for both of us. Besides, it's really cute how he identifies with the characters and how he quotes lines from the movie. His favorite scene from "Cars" right now is Tractor tipping with a close second being Mack driving Lightening on the highway and the appearance of Snot Rod (who he called "Snot Rocket" for a while because that's what I mistakenly called him). He quotes stuff that the cars say like "Ka-chow! Momma" and "stickers". And, the other day, that James Taylor song started to play during the flash black, and Gavin started to sing along. How adorable!!! "Long ago..." Gary and I laughed until we cried because it was funny and oh so precious! Watching "Cars" together also gives us stuff to talk about, and we reenact scenes when we play with his cars.
I'm sure once the weather is better and the summer comes, we'll be outside all the time or hanging out with friends. Maybe. Probably. But we'll still watch some TV together at night. It's just way too cute not to.
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