Tuesday, September 11, 2007

I hired a new babysitter

Yup, she's entertaining, educational, always available, always on time, and best of all... she's free!

Okay, that's a little misleading because she still has to have a safe responsible adult in the house with her and she lives inside of a square box... but still, she's GOOD!

This might sound silly to most of you... but it was an epiphany to me.

Let me back up: Rob and I decided to pull the plug on the t.v. a few months after we got Leeann. We didn't want her mimicking what she was seeing, and in general, we just wanted to protect our family time by not subjecting ourselves to hours in front of the screen each day.

We're not tyrannical. We're not freaks. We don't judge you for having t.v., it's just a choice we made for our family. We do rent and borrow lots of movies and the kiddos watch t.v. at other people's houses (though we do like to monitor what they are watching regardless.) But, I usually only put on a movie for my kiddos once or twice a week. And, for the last couple of months I'd turn Curious George on at 2:00 if we were home, if I remembered, and if the kid's weren't napping. (PBS is the only channel that comes in clear with our antenna).

Anyway, I literally have NEVER turned the t.v. on for my kid's in the morning. I just haven't thought about it... I don't know why. The other day however, I needed a shower and the kids needed to finish eating so I decided to turn the t.v. on for them and 'trust' them out in the dining room while I showered. They usually play in my bathroom while I shower.

The result? Mommy got ready in record timing and even got to eat breakfast before church! The kiddos and I all left the house in a less hurried mood than normal, and we got to church early. Yes, early! And, the shows they were watching were educational shows even... it's not like their brains are going to rot from a little PBS in the morning. Why, oh why did I not hire this babysitter sooner? She's AMAZING!

So, I told Rob that night that I no longer wanted to fear the t.v. There really are some great shows on PBS that are funny, educational and very entertaining for both of the kids. I still don't want the t.v. on all day, and I still don't want my kids watching it for hours at a time... but PBS is indeed my new favorite babysitter!

1 comment:

Beckys blog said...

We're a no TV family too. Raquelle has one 30 min DVD that she watches once a week or so on the computer. There is a TV in our room, but it doesn't get any channels. Thad and I rent a movie once a month or so.