TV

I have a love/hate relationship with the TV. Right now with the baby in the house I kind of love it. Especially a day like today when it is cloudy and rainy. Majority of the days I limit the amount of time we watch TV and it is usually first thing in the morning when I am getting breakfast and school ready. Each child has a "day" and they can pick what we watch. It is usually about an hour long, sometimes more depending on whether it is a movie or not. I have tried to record education, science, animal related stuff so they can watch that. But, honestly there hasn't been much on for them to see. Around the holidays we watch a lot of Christmas movies etc. Not only do I limit the time they watch but I am very thoughtful about what they watch. I try to steer clear of a lot of cartoons and just plain mindless entertainment (although we do watch Tom and Jerry occasionally :) The kids have seen Fiddler on the Roof, Holiday Inn, The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit. I try to make it "quality TV." But I am not always successful with that. We pick a lot of things that daddy and I grew up watching. Netflix just sent us White Christmas. I wish I had the guts to just get rid of the thing except for movies but hubby grew up with the TV and that isn't going to happen. He watches a lot of the History Channel so the kids will watch that with him. When the kids are in bed, I watch about an hour. At least I have it on. I usually am doing something else, paying bills etc. When daddy is home there are shows that we enjoy watching together and DVR them. We also have it on during College Game Day ;) I know I could live with out it and actually did for awhile. Although I hated not being able to watch football and basketball!! I think the thing that has me most upset right now is even during the kids holiday shows and sporting events they have very adult commercials. It has surprised me what they advertise during Frosty!! I try to fast forward through it but one of the reasons the TV is on is so I can get something done. Since we have had people in and out helping me with the baby etc. the TV has been on more than I care to admit but I have to remember everyone is here to help me. When school starts back we will be back into our routine and TV will once again be a very small part of it. I know that keeping my kids totally free from TV will probably just increase their curiosity later in life but just like everything else I try to teach them - life is about choices, God has given us free will, I hope to show them we are a product of our choices. If we choose to put good, wholesome things in, the chances are better of good wholesome things coming out. A reflection of Phil 4:8 . . .