To be annoyed by this?

[ProudAsPunch92]

I don't allow my son to watch any TV as he is only 16 months and I really don't see the point. My brothers kids spend all their time sat in front of the TV and won't do anything else. I have specifically asked my mum not to let ds watch the TV and when I came to pick him up today he is sat goggle eyed to the TV with my brothers youngest.

I am ever so grateful for my mum looking after ds for a couple of hours for me today but AIBU to be annoyed that he was just sat watching TV when I specifically said I don't want him watching cartoons?

Will keep it short, really dont see the harm in it long as hes not sat there for hours on end with no interaction from his carer

I've just said goodnight to my lovely son - graduate and master's student who was hooked up to Cartoon Network for a good proportion of his toddler-hood. He had a particular fondness for some awful programme called Pinky and the Brain if I remember rightly. Anyway - my point is he's turned out ok. They almost always do so I think, OP, that your blood pressure will thank you for just, you know, unclenching those buttocks sooner rather than later.

NO cartoons... How sad. My son is 3 he loves his cartoons.... Everything in moderation i say. Also your Mother was babysitting so her Rules... He was glued to it because hes doing what every child enjoys doing.... I think its sad that some people have a no tv rule... Also some children tv programs are very educational.

melw what a ridiculous comment, how is it "sad" to not allow a 16 month old to watch cartoons? Official guidelines from speech therapists and other such professionals is no screen time for under 2's so I fail to see how the OP is "sad" for not plonking her toddler in front of a screen.

Sometimes you just have to weigh these things up. Your mum looking after your DS enabled you to attend an appointment, which may, possibly, have been difficult to attend otherwise. So, the fact that he saw a small amount of TV is maybe something you have to suck up, balanced against the convenience of having childcare for 2 hours. Just out of interest, is the 92 in your name a reference to your year of birth?

Yanbu

I don't let my children watch tv as a general activity either. It's not banned but it's not part of their daily life.

My son (nearly 3) loves tv, probably as a result, and will watch it any time he gets the chance though. However they are both easily occupied with other things - books, jigsaws, etc. so I let them get on with those things instead. It might be that they watch a lot of tv when they are older but they are happy without it for now.

I would want my mil to look after the children, she likes it, they like it, but I would also be annoyed if she just plonked them in front of the tv when there are other things to do to make the most out of the day. There's plenty of time for tv when they are older.

They go to mil once a week but if it was all tv, they'd go to the childminder instead.

Free childare....................you can't dictate these terms.

I doubt your child will have suffered any long term damage.

And probably enjoyed himself.

ProudAsPunch, I agree with you about the TV. I'd have been a bit miffed too, but as it was only a one-off I wouldn't feel it's worth getting upset about. If your mum is going to be regularly looking after your DS alongside his cousins, maybe it'd be helpful to bring a few activities or set up something to keep them occupied before you leave? Also, sorry if I've missed it, but how many children was your mum looking after at once? Maybe they'd had a falling out, or she needed to get the dinner ready or whatever and she thought a few minutes of TV would keep them amused while she was busy. My mum and MIL look after my children, and do things that I wouldn't necessarily do, but I suppose you have to weigh up whether the free childcare, and good relationship with the grandparents is more important than the occasional bit of TV.

Aawwww...

We love Cbeebies bedtime stories in our house, must be a bad mum. I'll go and sit in the naughty corner then.

Those speech experts can ram it! my friends and I have successful careers and achieved post graduate level and we all have very fond memories of endless hours of A Team, Wombles, Robin Hood, Dr who, Mr Ben, Why don't you and so on. I don't think it's caused too many problems. I learnt to speak French watching the tv when I was little and I loved history programmes, got me hooked on learning in fact which inspired a life long passion.

Everything in moderation that's my motto!