As I sit down to write this three of my children are snuggled on the couch watching Curious George on DVD. it is almost 3pm and we have already been to visit a sick friend, stopped in for lunch at our bestest buddies, played in the backyard, had a tea party in the pop up tent house and read Bible Stories on the couch for half an hour... not to mention hung the washing, made all of the beds, countelss trips to and almost to the toilet and scraping porridge off all manner of surfaces after breakfats...but yet I feel guilty for taking some time for me, especially on the computer!
Mama is all kiddoed out and so on goes the mindless distraction. I have this continual struggle between my high ideals and my sanity. I have read the research and seen the effects of too much media on kids young minds and I endeavour to limit how much screen time my kids have and we are definitely discriminating in the content of what they watch...but sometimes it just is easier...and I am trying to get my head around that it is ok!
In an ideal world when mama needs her quiet time the children would all sit quietly involved in their own pursuits, reading, playing snakes and ladders, drawing ...and they do do all of that, but a 5 year old and 2x 2 year olds plus a super crawling 8 month old need a lot of supervision to avoid the tears,screams and random wall drawings.
I wonder what did mothers of preschoolers and only just turned five year olds do to remain sane in the "olden days"? Are we just too used to having an easy option in media, fancy toys, car travel to friends/parks/museums/zoos? How did Carolyn Ingalls keep her sweet demeanour in that tiny little prairie home (I know ...rose coloured glasses and tv dramatisation!). Am I just being self-indulgent and not sacrificial enough or should I be thankful that I have the option of technology and modern amusement to use wisely?
All I know is that when Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy...and if it means a DVD three or four days a week to help me remain functional the rest of the time, maybe it is a trade off I am willing to make at this stage of our lives.
So... tell me, what are the must haves for our children's DVD collection?
Our favourites at the moment include:
Curious George
Cars
Clifford
The Railway Children
Monsters Inc
Little House
Anne of Green Gables
Jungle Book
The Wind in the Willows
Babe
Hairy Maclary
The Berenstain Bears (or Berkenstain Bears according to O5)
5 comments:
Hi there, you are correct when you say when mum not happy nobody happy... I decided when the girls were little that martyrdom is not cool unless in the name of Jesus.
Kids need mum healthy, husband need wife healthy, friends want friends healthy, family want family healthy... if taking an hour and a half while the kids are watching a great story via the medium of DVD then take that hour and a half... contrary to the belief of some I honestly don't think that a child will become a blithering idiot if they watch DVDs twice or thrice a week, especially when they have the amount of input that yours do... maybe these times of quietly watching, snuggling with their siblings is just as restful for the kids as for mum, it gives them a chance to recharge and rest as much as it gives mum a breather... just my opinion anyway... :) Nobody else places these expectations on mums except the mums themselves... don't be so unreasonable and hard on yourself.
As an aside no kids movie collection is complete without Cats and Dogs... very good movie... well we like it anyway and Skyhigh... maybe a bit too old for your kids though.
i agree with what trapa said.
mrs-prairie-chick probably sat the kids on a chair and told them not to move
*wicked grin*
well, susannah wesley used to put an apron or something over her head... you could try that
*wickeder grin*
oh, you forgot pooh bear and all the veggie tales and shrek and the wiggles lol and prayer bear and the arisocats and a bug's life and little bear collection and various zoo programmes taped off the telly... and a million more that now reside in banana boxes under my pooter. i still remember you tidied them up when you and J and O5 came to stay all those eons ago....
could be time for a return visit... and you can take home a couple of banana boxes for the winter lol
sounds like youve been busy today
Curious George is cool
in fact they all sound like good dvds and I dont think there is anything wrong with them watching them 3 or 4 times a week. Dont be guilty we all function with a little me time
Jen at http://jenz.wordpress.com/
My 4-year loves Caillou, together with Batman and the Superfriends.
Mike
http://somethingaboutparenting.typepad.com/
Karen....You are first and foremost...human! I understand the whole ideals thing...ken and I struggle with that on a regular basis. If you are a more balanced Mummy and a less stressed wife than some censored screen time is NOT going to hurt your little ones. Everybody needs a bit of space at times and maybe when they are older you may be able to banish everyone to a room with a book or a quiet activity BUT while you're doing the little kiddie stage.....you need to cope with life. SO don't beat yourself up about the ideals....they are after all ideals....always a work in progress. Right I'm off to drink that cup of coffee I said I wasn't going to drink on a regular basis anymore!!!!! Much love to you!
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