Why TV is good for kids.

I will admit we are a tv-watching family. At times, I get a little irritated with the tv on so much...we watch a LOT of it. I see articles about how bad television is for kids. It fries their brain, ruins concentration, leads to ADD, etc, etc. To a certain degree I think some of this is true. Addison will not pay attention to what you're saying most of the time when she's staring at the screen. She concentrates much better with it off as well. I'm not dumb. I know these things. BUT, we do monitor what she sees. I carefully pick shows to DVR which I think will be about something she needs to learn about. For instance, PBS has great shows for kids and so does Disney Junior. They all teach something. WordWorld teaches words and spelling. All the characters are made of letters and they put letters together to create objects. Another show she watches on PBS is Arthur. This is one of my favorites. It mostly teaches everyday experiences and interpersonal relationships. Arthur is a smart kid and a good role model. SuperWhy is another word show. The characters go into books and read stories. It's also about problem solving and choosing words. Lots of letter identification goes on. Special Agent Oso teaches us how to do things like tie our shoes and water the plants-all in 3 special steps. Handy Manny shows introduces self-sufficiency by problem-solving and fixing things. A new show we've gotten into is The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That which is how I know my kid is actually learning from tv. A few days ago Addison and I had a lengthy discussion about flowers and bees and pollination which I would not have had if not for this show. She knew that bees made honey from drinking nectar and that they stick their tongues waaay out to drink it up. We talked about how pretty dandelions were but that they were a weed and the reason they were so pretty was to attract the bees so their pollen would spread. She also knew that rain was for the plants to grow. My kid is a genius because of tv. Granted, she's probably learning a lot in preschool :), but they are both mirroring each other and it gives me an opportunity to have discussions with my kid and I know she's getting pretty accurate information. Disney Junior is taking a different approach with programming and encouraging exercise and healthy eating. They have exercise and dancing bits between some of the shows and cooking skits. Many of the role models introduce healthy and international foods that kids may not otherwise be exposed to. It's a new day and while I appreciate the opportunity and see huge benefits to Addison getting out and playing, there is also much to be said about the benefits of tv as well. These times do not allow for kids to just "go outside and play" unless you have a secured backyard and even then you have to have a watchful eye. Television has been both a bonding experience (in our discussions about shows) and a refuge (when I need to get some work around the house) because I can't send my kid out to play without supervising her. That's okay. We still make time for the park and other projects without the tv. The community resources don't offer much for working parents and their children after work and school, so we have to make up our own fun. Once summer arrives we'll spend more time outdoors and less cooped up inside. It's all good.