Online TV
I am not a big fan of network television. There are a couple of shows I can appreciate, but overall, I could take it or leave it. One of the biggest concerns I have is that until bedtime my son watches anything I might sit down and watch. Trying to be a filter for my kid used to be a real downer. My son is still too young to have and control his own media, so when I discovered that there are children’s’ programs on sites like www.hulu.com, www.pbskids.com, and http://watch.thirteen.org/ (though this one is a little more adult, we enjoy the nature shows and Nova together). Since Mommy likes night-time dramas, the boys and I can watch TV online that doesn’t expose them to the gratuitous sex and violence of network or cable TV. Filtering is much easier and convenient. Then, after prayers are said and everyone is tucked in, I can watch my sci-fi and adventure shows till I get bleary eyed.
About The Author
I love PBS Kids! My son was a fan until he decided that he had outgrown that channel. “Angelina Balerina” “Dragon Tales” and “The Bearstine Bears” was, in his words, “for little kids.” Now, we have graduated to Nick Jr. I still have to keep an ear out for what Nick Jr considers age appropriate entertainment but for the most it is not bad. However, nothing is like creating our own family entertainment.
Both of my boys are still young enough for PBS kids. As they get older, I want to de-emphasize T.V. like my mom did when I was growing up. She encouraged reading and created opportunities for my brothers and I to experience so much more in our young lives than T.V could ever offer. Of course, when I did get around to watching a couple hours of T.V., the shows that I consider negative for my kids really had no chance attracting me. Instead I gravitated toward shows like MacGyver, Star Trek, Knight Rider, Nova and Wild America. My interest in these shows were supported by the exposure to nature, technology, science, and a sense of adventure and imagination that I had gained through reading and the many walks and road trips my mom took my brothers and I on. It seems that every day I experience a new aspect of “Daddy-hood” I find another reason to appreciate all the things I may not have even realized my mom did for me when I was growing up.
~M. S.