To think kids watching tv is a bit of a waste of their life?

[Amykins35]

My daughter is 5 and her father and I are separated. When she has contact, she usually watches at least 5 films over the course of a weekend. On the other hand, here we used to go to the cinema on some of my weekends before her baby sister was born and that was the only thing she watched. We didn't even have a TV at home until 4 months ago. In the winter we had a film night on my Fridays where we baked cakes then snuggled on the sofa with teddies to watch a film and eat our cakes. But now the weather is finally brightening up we'll be going to the park/walking the dog/playing in the garden on those Fridays and so she probably won't watch anything here til next winter.
I read a few weeks ago that kids in the UK watch an average of 3 hours tv per day and that makes me sad as I really do think its a waste of their lives. Also, I don't understand where people find time for their kids to watch tv - my daughter goes to bed much later than her friends but we still run out of time to do everything she/we wanted to do. A typical day is:
7.30: she wakes up and gets ready while playing with DD2
7.45: breakfast
8.00: leave to walk/scoot/bike 2 miles to school

After school:
I usually drive to collect her so we can pop home for a snack before after school activities which usually finish at 6. She then plays/draws/reads while I cook tea, tea usually finished by 7 when we walk the dog, back home for homework, bath, stories and bed usually around 8.45.

There just isn't time in the day for tv and I don't understand where people find the time for it. If DD isn't doing an activity she likes to trampoline/paint/have tea parties etc after school and I think the amount of TV she watches at her fathers is a waste of his contact time. Before I get flamed and told my DD needs to rest and relax which may be why she watches TV at her dads - drawing and listening to stories are relaxing too. My DD never asks to watch TV here even if worn out - which is very rare indeed! AIBU to think watching TV is a bit of a waste of children's lives when there are so many more fun things they could be doing?

OrangeFootedScrubfowl what??
That is the most depressing post I ever read. Are you ok?

Mydarlingclementine You have saved me from so much anger. I think now I can relax and let my kids eat too much junk food, watch too much telly and play endless games at their dads without dying inside at the thought of it. He doesn't have a single book at his which I think is a shame. Offer of books was aggressively refused! My own parenting style is too stringent and biased towards less telly, ten of your 5-a-day inspired home meals, and little telly and not playing with neighbours kids because they swear a lot! . I was getting really down because of this but your post has made me reflect. Thanks a lot.

Op 9.45 is too late for bedtime.

You do sound regimented like me and we do need to relax a bit I think though I have to say I'm personally driven by the fear of being a bad parent. Thanks dad! But I do admire you for doing what you believe to be right for your dd. It's hardly child abuse is it? I know you mean well. Most of us do. But it's difficult to get it exactly right. We try. And we keep on trying. We just want to do what we profoundly believe to be the best. All of us.

The episode of Doctor Who with Maureen Lipman as the evil TV was on this morning

I am Ok dryjuice, DD was asking what lasts forever the other day and I told her love.
Not mountains or seas or stars, but love.

I mean, I know it was a lie, because we'll be extinct one day. There'll be no love then. Just blank animals with their two-dimensional feelings about their simplistic interactions and maybe aliens with some weird emotions based on gaseous exchanges or a super futuristic process a bit like, er, hydroelectrics, or some shit.

But I've still got it in me to carry on and lie to 4 year olds. At the end of the day that's what's important I guess.

I should make that into a children's book.

What lasts forever Big nutbrown hare?

Nothing Little nutbrown hare. Nothing does. Let's lie down for a while.

The rest of the book is plain white, expansive pages.

It all depends on what tv it is whether its a waste of time.
Some programmes/films can be very educational as well as entertaining and they key to everything is balance. Tv is a good thing as long as dc are doing other stuff to, like days out to park, picnics, drawing, crafts, outdoor play, recreational activity etc. As long as your dc is doing other stuff besides watching tv, cant see a problem

My DD never just sits and watches either, always doing something else.

I think balance is really important. I have experience of DP's who are both on the same page and rather extreme on various things and its been too much for the DC too heavy...

I think personally its really important for them to be exposed to books, theatre, culture, sports, nature, as long as one of you is providing that, there is no problem. The opportunity exists for them to pick up interests.

Dreamingbohemian has just said what I was going to say, ie that tv is only a medium, like books. You wouldn't ban all books from your house just because some books are shit would you?
Whenever someone tells me that they don't have a tv (normally in a smug tone) my first thought is normally: ludite.
Move with the times, let technology work for you.

I am a nanny, I do not have one.

TV isn't banned - we have one film per fortnight. We use the Ipad for nature apps etc occasionally.

I don't really mind what anybody else does but as you're asking : YABU and so is anyone else who makes such a sweeping generalisation of what's on all 25 million TV channels. I think they must actually watch a lot of TV if they are sooooo sure that it's all crap. Not having a TV is one of those really annoying and pointless things that people do when they want to appear somehow better than everybody else. Keep up people. God knows what you think about the evils of games consoles, the internet and mobile phones! Before I'm flamed, I know I'm being judgy but this kind of thing really gets on my nerves. It's not big, it's not clever, so stop showing off about not watching TV. Weird.

"We use the Ipad for nature apps etc occasionally."

hahahahaha!

What's a nature app?

It's an app for people like the op so they can pretend that what their little cherub does in front of a screen is EDUCATIONAL as opposed to our brats who are lazy little shirkers wasting their lives staring at screens.

And can also count as Kumon Maths too, LaQueen as it involves a lot of counting.

All this earnest worthiness is just ridiculous - if it wasn't so bizarre, I would think some people make certain "parenting" choices chiefly to impress strangers. But that would be weird, right?

And at when the child is a teen and glued to a screen they will wonder why they bothered ..

My dd did all of her preschool education via cbeebies.

Op is motherhood perfection personified.
I'm off to share a tube of pringles with her fat lazy ex. He sounds much nicer lovely.

Orange I don't find your way of thinking depressing, quite the reverse.

Life's too important to be taken seriously.

One film a fortnight?!

DS1 (13) would spontaneously combust if his TV viewing was limited to one film a fortnight. He watches several shows a week, but you know what, he also does a lot of other stuff too? He plays rugby (he's in the academy of one of the professional rugby union clubs), goes to Scouts, plays two musical instruments and even does a bit of drama. And he's often out and about with his friends, riding bikes etc.

We record the shows he likes to the V+ box, so he can catch up with them when he has some downtime, because every child needs downtime. With all my son fits in his life, I'm happy for him to have a couple of hours 'TV time' at the weekend, it makes him a relatively normal teenager!

Thats the thing isnt it? DS1 plays football 4 times a week at a highly competitive level, he swims for a club, does all his homework, he is a very good student.

Quite honestly I am happy to see him laying on his bed watching TV or playing PS3, he cant be busy every second of the day.