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?

[Thingiebob]

But it's all in moderation isn't it?

Nothing wrong with a bit of TV but three hours a day is excessive and not sure how kids fit in that much screen time if they are at school and nursery!

FWIW I was brought up in a house with no tv and now I turned into a right square eyes once I left home to go to Uni and got my own telly.

[Asinine]

'Watching tv is a waste of time.'It depends on what you are watching, and how it makes you feel, and indeed what you think the purpose of life is.

For an extreme example, watching a 5 min loop of adverts for a few hours would be a waste of time by most peoples standards.

Watching a nature documentary might be informative, and enjoyable. It might inspire a dcs future career.

Watching comedy might help lift someone's mood.

Watching 'Cry Freedom', or 'Ghandi' and discussing the issues raised might change the way dcs think about the world for the better.

You are generalising and therefore BU.

[badguider]

We watch a lot of sport on tv - things like the marathon this morning and the tour de france, the olympics.
We also watch some travel and nature documentaries...

Five films in a weekend is really loads, and i'm not a huge fan of most children's programmes. But I don't think all tv is a 'waste of life' - it opens up a window to the rest of the world.

[Coffeeformeplease]

It irritates the hell out of me when I'm in a household where the tv is on all day. We would never want it at home. We have one TV in the living room and that's it. My little one sits there to watch mainly DVDs, there is no TV-snacking here and there all through the day as I hate that.

I too keep my mouth shut about this in RL, as most of children's friends houses have one TV per room with constant noise backdrop.

My older children have their laptops with restricted usage per day.

I don't know why we pay for TV license because most of the stuff on TV is insultingly boring. The 4 year old watches Sat-TV in our mother-tongue, but even there I have to pick the stuff I can tolerate her watching. At least from the language immersion point of view it's educational.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

I have the same experience as IvyKaty.
When my ds was little he used to hang out with a little gang of pals.
We live in a very quiet rural area, so they all used to run around outside for hours playing.
They had the chance to watch tv but didn't want to as they had more fun playing with each other.
Apart from the one little boy who didn't have a tv. He would come in and sit glued to it until I turned it off, then he'd have a tantrum because no one wanted to watch it with him. And he was exactly the same at the other's houses as well, they used to get so fed up with him.

[StillSeekingSpike]

Firstly, when researchers say that children 'watch' 3 hours of TV a day, do they actually mean that the children watch it- or are they fighting with siblings, playing with dolls, wandering off into other rooms/
And as for TV being boring- you must be watching the wrong stations. This week I have seen a documentary on Isaac Newton, 24 hrs in A & E, another doc on tunnels, one on Josiah Wedgwood, the film Zulu and several episodes of the Big Bang Theory. I challenge you to find any of those 'boring'.

[PoppyAmex]

Thanks theodora, you have excellent taste as evidenced by your blue riband penchant!

I totally agree with Asinine - my parents always made a point of watching international news and discussing social/political/historical events on the back of that and I can honestly say it made me less insular.

I also enjoyed Heidi immensely and she inspired a lifelong desire to own a baby goat.

[Yamyoid]

Oooh, just read you have a nanny. Well then, now it makes sense.

[sunnyshine]

My 9 year old goes to bed at 7.30. Isn't she shattered by 8.45 with such a full day?

[Coffeeformeplease]

Maybe the interesting stuff is on while I'm at work or out. Or maybe I just got fed up years ago and have stopped bothering with TV. The rare good stuff (for example David Attenborough's film, Hitchcock's classics or whatever the older ones are into - Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Merlin etc) we have all on DVD to watch when we (they) want it.

[thoroughlymodernmillie]

My two (8&9) do a lot of activities, the only days they don't are a Monday and Thursday. On these days we pick them up from childcare at 6 and because we are all too knackered to start making robots out of tin foil ans shoe boxes we generally watch the television. On a good day they will sit and watch re runs of midsumer murders (the eldest loves John Nettles) or the judge Unfortunately there are days when we have to suffer victorious or austin and ally
Watching the television has its place we can's always be on the go, its nice just to sit and chill for a bit

[pigletmania]

Yabvvu some tv is not going to hurt, nothing wrong with it

[forevergreek]

I agree. I dont care what others want to do, but we rarely watch tv here.

We probably watch a film one weekend eve when it's cold.

Age 2 and 3 here, and we can def take both swimming and back to bake if we wanted. There is no adult ratio in pools around here, both wear arm bands with an adult with them. They take off if two adults.
Baking/ cooking = they either join in 'helping' or just play.

On a typical day at home ( when no childcare/ work), it would be approx the same.
8am wake, get ready/ breakfast etc
9.30am out generally to whatever that days plan is
1pm -3 home for nap
3 onwards - out if nice/ or indoors paint/ bake/ play etc
6.30/7 dinner. Followed by bath/ stories etc
8pm bed

In the eve once asleep, myself and dh usually working from computer/ baking or cooking for next day if working out the home, read, bath/ shower, talk, bed. V rarely tv for us either

Time for tv is rare tbh. I'm not evaligical about it, I just wouldn't think of turning it on for myself/ dh, so rarely think about it for dc.

[GirlOutNumbered]

Well we've been gardening all morning and have just come in. I'm having a cuppa, DS1 and 2 are watching Ben and holly...
I just want to sit for 30 mins and cruise the Internet. Yes, they could draw or paint or something similar, but we are jut chilling out and I don't want to supervise anything for a bit!

I se no problem with this.

[GirlOutNumbered]

Although forevergeek, just made a good point, my DS1 has stopped napping so sometimes the tv is on for a bit down time too.

[theodorakisses]

I also remember we used to sit down after bathnight on Sundays and all watch That's Life, huddled around the fire. Happy days...

[LtEveDallas]

DD is 8. She goes to bed at 2030 and reads for a hour before sleeping. She is never up later much than 0600 (actually that's a lie, I love the day the clocks to forward!). Saturday she was up at 0530, today at 0605. I could put her to bed later, but she'd still get up early - she's just be grumpy as hell all day.

If we didn't have TV I'd be buggered by now

[PuppyMonkey]

I hate ill informed TV bashing. David Attenborough the only thing on there are loads of other good things on telly. Much more enriching than you baking fecking cupcakes with the kids.

Hate it when people bash something just because they're not interested in it. Your kids might get a great job working in telly when they grow up for all you know.

[PearlyWhites]

Not enough sleep is damaging for children your dd goes to bed very late for a five year old.

[GirlOutNumbered]

Perhaps she says 'daddy please let me watch the TV, I'm sick of making cupcakes!'

[Bunbaker]

DD likes the TV on for company. She is currently doing her Geography homework, after that it will be DT, then French. She does all of it with the TV on. I used to listen to music while doing homework.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

I imagine she needs all that excercise since she stuffs herself with cakes everyday.

[PoohBearsHole]

We love tv here. From baking o the recent Africa, dd is 5 and desperate o learn, she has learnt so much that I couldn't possibly know!
You obviously not watch kds TiVo you would know isn't the same tv asin our day. Cbeebies is so educational, nina ns the neutrons, mr bloom etc have influenced our projects fom asking a rocket to planting a garden for the dc.

Knock my life if you wish bui work, like some switch off time, bed at 8.45 is bonkers but then we need to leave home earlier tan you so I can et to work! I think busy busy young children have a lot of pressure on them. You ex is probably allowing your poor child a acne o Cthulhu up on my needed rest when would she otherwise?

[stopgap]

We don't watch TV in our house. I am a bit of a caged animal at home, and like to be out and about, so we're always at the park, museums, toddler groups etc. Chill-out time at home consists of books and music, and 20-month-old DS is happy to pootle about the place with a broom in one hand and sieve in the other.