my love-hate relationship with the T.V.

I could tell Z was getting a cold when we were flying back last night and she ended up sleeping 13 hours last night.

We have a "sick days" tradition in the Gray's family that Z loves. Whenever she is really sick I bundle her up on my bed or the couch and let her watch television pretty much all day, except for breaks when I will read to her. I feed her juice and popsicles, crackers and chicken soup, if she'll eat anything. I totally baby her but also insist that she just lie around. If she has the strength to run around and play then she doesn't need to be watching T.V.

We have limited T.V. time around here, we always have.

When Z was 18 months old - 3 1/2 she wasn't allowed to watch television shows at all except when she was sick or infrequent occassions (though she did watch some on DVD.) When she was four I picked out a couple shows I would record for her on the DVR - right now they are Charlie and Lola and Iron Chef. Also I recently started to let her spend a couple hours on Saturday morning watching cartoons. I loved doing this as a child, although I think the Looney Tunes were better than anything on these days.

Z does watch a lot of programs on DVD though, some just for fun like Sailormoon, and The Muppets and many other's educational. Z has learned a lot about mammals, birds, ocean life, evolution, dinosaurs, prehistoric life, Roman architecture, Greek Myths, etc from DVD's.

I am not sure what my learning style is (auditory, visual-spatial, kinesthetic.) I think I learn different subjects better through different styles. But I have learned a lot from television and I am often watching History Channel, Discovery, and renting DVD's on non-fiction topics.

I use this media to supplement Z's education. I am not too worry about it because she also reads all the time. But I am a tad concerned because she does have the capacity to sit in front of the television and watch mindless drivel for days on end.

I have talked to her about how T.V. can be addictive and how spending too much time watching it takes away our time to do other more important things.

When we turn the television on in our home it is to watch someting planned and without commercials. But on days when she is sick and I can't manage to read to her all day I let the television entertain her.

Is it depressing her intellect and culture?? *sigh* Maybe it is. Hopefully I can reverse the affliction by turning off Nick and putting on one of our videos. Is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban more intellectually uplifting than the Backyardigans?