Kids, Husbands and TV

[Anonymous]

I generally stick to the hour of TV a day recommended by peds for the 5 and under crowd and we typically do educational programming when possible (e.g., Sesame Street, Super Why, etc). On the occasional snow storm like today we may go over. My husband however is a TV whore and will watch and watch and watch for HOURS. It just part of who he is and how he unwinds. So my 4 yo of course will gravitate to the living room, especiallly when there are large machines and trucks on the screen and just camps out right there with him. Would you like to do site words or watch monster trucks? It is very hard to stop and of course I've tried peeling my husband away from it but without much luck. So how do you monitor childrden's TV when it is being overused due to other's watching in the house? Kind of like second-hand smoke but in the form of television.....how do you control this?

[Anonymous]

I have the same problem. It's difficult.

But really, sight words for a 4 year old???? No wonder he wants to watch tv.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I generally stick to the hour of TV a day recommended by peds for the 5 and under crowd and we typically do educational programming when possible (e.g., Sesame Street, Super Why, etc). On the occasional snow storm like today we may go over. My husband however is a TV whore and will watch and watch and watch for HOURS. It just part of who he is and how he unwinds. So my 4 yo of course will gravitate to the living room, especiallly when there are large machines and trucks on the screen and just camps out right there with him. Would you like to do site words or watch monster trucks? It is very hard to stop and of course I've tried peeling my husband away from it but without much luck. So how do you monitor childrden's TV when it is being overused due to other's watching in the house? Kind of like second-hand smoke but in the form of television.....how do you control this?

You've got a husband problem. The only solution is for him to fix it. How is he possibly parenting his four year old, and what kind of example is he setting, if he's watching hours of day time TV?

[Anonymous]

I don't think watching monster trucks with his father is going to harm him. I would try to negotiate a compromise that involves dad spending an equal amount of one on one time in exchange for the tv time together.

[Anonymous]

My husband's the same. I usually keep my son outside as much as possible, but honestly don't think a day here or there is going to kill him.

I have to echo PP -- sight words? How about some fun science experiments instead, like blowing up volcanos and stuff?

[Anonymous]

Children need to know site words once they hit kindergarten. It's an early reading milestone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I generally stick to the hour of TV a day recommended by peds for the 5 and under crowd and we typically do educational programming when possible (e.g., Sesame Street, Super Why, etc). On the occasional snow storm like today we may go over. My husband however is a TV whore and will watch and watch and watch for HOURS. It just part of who he is and how he unwinds. So my 4 yo of course will gravitate to the living room, especiallly when there are large machines and trucks on the screen and just camps out right there with him. Would you like to do site words or watch monster trucks? It is very hard to stop and of course I've tried peeling my husband away from it but without much luck. So how do you monitor childrden's TV when it is being overused due to other's watching in the house? Kind of like second-hand smoke but in the form of television.....how do you control this?

just in weekend or during the week too?

[Anonymous]

What are site words?

[Anonymous]

You can't make your husband change his behavior, but you can limit its impact on your child. Get another TV in another room that has a door (like a bedroom or office). Your husband can go watch in there with the door shut. If he doesn't want to socialize, so be it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children need to know site words once they hit kindergarten. It's an early reading milestone.

It is an early reading milestone, but the definitely do NOT need to know them before kindergarten. Give me a break.

[Anonymous]

TV in another room. Too bad if husband likes the room it is in now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Children need to know site words once they hit kindergarten. It's an early reading milestone.

So is spelling. It is "sight" words. Words that must be known by sight. And no, they do not need to know them by kindergarten. No wonder he would rather watch TV.

[Anonymous]

Why on earth are you doing sight words? If your child isn't ready, you will only cause frustration. If your child is ready, then there's no reason to suck the fun out of reading for your precocious kid.

In moderation, monster trucks is perfectly fine for a 4 year old - sesame street gets boring.

[Anonymous]

OP, give your kid a break. Are you drilling the kid on sight words a lot or was that just an example? If it's the former, that's a lot of pressure for a four-year-old. Maybe your kid could use a break and hang out with dad and watch some monster trucks. If it's the latter, I don't see how one day in a snow storm would be terrible. But if it's every weekend I can see how you might want to encourage dad and kid to have a different kind of interaction.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, why all the browbeating about the sight words? My DC loves to learn and, at four, enjoyed learning sight words as much as any other activity. And by four and a half she was reading (cue boo's and hisses here). Not to enter into the my-child-read-so-early song and dance because that certainly is not indicative of future academic success, but just to illustrate that perhaps OP used that example because her child might jump at the chance to do that activity.