When I said interact with your kid 95% of the time you’re with them, it was hyperbole, and I also didn’t say the level of interaction. A lot of interaction is just being in the same room and your kid and having them watch how you behave and vice versa. I don’t have a teaching degree and certainly not the energy to format some kind of curriculum for a one year old! I simply meant that if all you do is plant your kid in front of a tv, you’ve got problems, but a little tv in moderation, along with some focused play time is fine.

FWIW, my son is a LOT more verbal than a few kids his age who are not allowed to watch tv. Maybe it’s a natural aptitude, but maybe these non-tv moms aren’t always filling their kids’ time with intelligent play? Just because you keep your kid away from tv, doesn’t mean you’re also feeding their mind. These things are mutually exclusive. You have to feed the mind and the tv stuff is up to you as a parent.

Angela: I was speaking in general terms about all the mothers who get defensive just because someone makes another choice than they do. Instead of just figuring she does what works for her and I do what works for me, a lot of mother go on the attack and start trying to prove that the other person is wrong.

Honestly I WISH CBB had a forum, where we could debate and stuff.
I SOOOOO want to know what people here think about Ayelet Waldmans Essay of a few years ago, that kinda sorta touches on this topic…
Heres the Essay:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1374327/posts

Sarah’s note: You’re definitely welcome to talk about it as long as there is no name-calling and it’s respectful. (i.e. No, ‘YOU’RE WRONG!!!!!’ but more ‘I disagree because…’)

We’ve thought about having a forum, but in keeping with the site, it would be moderated and that’s not something we have time for right now.

@ Preesi

“Like WHEN do Mommies get ME time?”

I totally agree. When you become a mother you don’t stop being a person and everyone needs some time to themselves.

I personally would go nuts if I got my son down for bed at 7.30-8pm and I jumped straight into the dishes/laundry/mopping/toilet scrubbing. My nights are my ‘me’ time. My husband works a lot of hours so we really only see him on weekends so nights are my ONLY ‘me’ time.

As far as TV, my son watches a kids show for a half hour each morning at 8.30am. By this time he’s been up for about 2 hours, has had his breaksfatst and fruit snack and is dressed for the day. I use this half hour to have my breakfast, my shower and to be ready and refreshed for the day. I don’t feel guilty about it at all. It works for me. I then use his 1-2 hour nap during the day to clean.

But seriously, am I the only one whose child (21 months) has the run of the house and grabs his toys to play in other rooms and explore? Do I interactively play with him? Sure but not 95% of my day. He’s busy and boring mum just doesn’t cut it some times

I think it’s great if mums find a way that works for them to balance everything. No one will do it the same way but do we have do get on our high horses and lay on the mummy guilt?

M.D,? Read what Francesca wrote. She told another poster that after the children go to bed is when to scrub the toilet and do chores. Like WHEN do Mommies get ME time?

How do you teach a child that they arent the ONLY one in the world if you make them the only one in your world and neglect yourself?

preesi? A baby of Violets age doesnt NEED alone time with the television set. Jennifer got that right!

Annonymous? I read an interview on her that said that Maddox has an XBox in one home that they have, but not in any others, so when they go to stay there, he appreciates it.

Francesca? Gosh! When are Mommies allowed to have ME time? PSB says you have to spend 95% of your day interacting with your kid! OMG no wonder Moms lose hair! EVERYONE, Moms, Dads and kids NEED alone time!

Wow…my first online provocation. I just re-read my post and am quite confident that I did not insult any mother’s choice. In fact, I complimented the no TV watching celebrities as making a “great choice for their kids.” I am also happy to compliment you Kate for doing the same.

I was simply trying to explain one perspective on the matter, in a quite humbling way I thought. I’m not sure why it provoked such attacks from the following posters. Obviously it was interpreted in a different way then when it left my head. Raising children is hard enough, we moms need to stick together, not attack. Peace!!

funny how some people always blame cooking and cleaning for letting the tv babysit their kids, not trying to criticize anyone but it seems like a lame excuse. when do your kids go to bed? you could always scrub the toilet and have your shower or bath in the evening. like, do you sit at the pc browsing the net too while the tv babysits your kids? just curious.

Angela: Yes, I do have children. And I still don’t understand why other mothers get so defensive. Particularly in light of the fact that Jennifer never said t.v. was bad for kids. All she said was her child doesn’t watch television. She never said anything about what other mothers should do. And it is possible to raise a child without help and without the television. If you have choosen to go the route of letting your child watch t.v. for the purposes of cooking and cleaning then that is your choice, but it’s not wrong to chose to not utlitize the t.v. at all in raising children. It’s just a shame that you choose to alleviate your guilt by insulting mothers who have chosen another path.