No TV school mornings

[woollencats]

DS1 (8) gets up at 6:20am 7 days a week no matter what time he goes to bed. He finds the remote and watches his favourite show. I get up at 7am. Then his brother (7) gets up at 7ish (they share a room) and he then wants to watch something as well whilst he comes round (not a morning person) so they carry on watching whilst I have my coffee and make breakfast.

I am going to hide the remote tonight as I think DS1 is waking to watch it. He struggles to play or read indoors for long. He loves active play in the garden and TV is the only time he sits down for more than 5 mins inside.

AIBU to ban it on school mornings and put the radio on? I have done it before but have slipped back into old habits!

We leave at 8:30am.

I think it’s fine, but I’d let him know you’re doing it and why. And maybe put something else out for him to do?

Is the tv in their room? I would remove the entire tv if that is the case. Dont raise couch potato tv addicts.

Please don't say your kids have a TV in their room

Definitely no tv before school here. There is plenty to do in the mornings, from spelling test practice or piano, to reading, tidying bedrooms, playing with toys etc etc. tv is definitely not needed. You need to explain to him and then hide the remote. But explain first.

We don't have TV on school mornings here but last summer I felt ds was the same, waking in hols early for TV/Nintendo. He wakes much later now, so definitely goes back to sleep where once he would bave roused himself. No screen till 9am. Works well.

Mine are allowed to watch to tv when they are completely ready, as in shoes on, blazers ready to walk out of the door.

If you've got a tv in their room take it out.

Aww, let 'em watch a bit of telly.

No, that's not unreasonable. DS didn't realise for a long time that the TV worked before 4.00p.m. But if it's part of their routine, then it's probably best to warn them first and explain why you are doing it and they can have it holidays and weekends, but not school mornings.

Why? It’s a TV, not crack cocaine FGS.

Are they ready for school in time or is it distracting and delaying them?

Definitely no tv in the morning. When all this was fields there was children’s radio. For a good year my dc had an idyllic pre school routine of porridge spelling practice and songs and stories on the radio. It then went online which really isn’t the same. I asked Alexa just now and there’s ‘Fun kids’ - playing a funky sea shanty now.

I'm with you! I know all kids are different. But mine are so relaxed and easy to get out of the door in the mornings because they have a chill start to the day with a favourite programme.

Do whatever you need to do.
Our 9yo has 30 minutes before school. I’m always awake when he wakes up anyway.

Never have tv in morning here.

And absolutely no tv in bedroom's either. Children don't need to watch enough to warrant having one in a bedroom. Its really bad sleep hygiene to watch it before going to bed too - i wouldn't have one in an adults bedroom either.

No TV or games before school has always been the rule in this house. I'd never get them out the door otherwise!

Unless the TV is actively impeding getting ready for school etc then I really don’t understand the demonisation of TV. Its no lesser a form of entertainment than most children’s literature. I both watched a lot of TV and read a lot of books as a kid, but most of the books were of no higher standing then the average kids’ TV programme. I don’t think that the formulaic narratives of Enid Blyton, Goosebumps, The Saddle Club, The Babysitters’ Club, Sweet Valley High or the Weetzie Bat series were expanding my young mind any more than cartoons or Neighbours.

I always remember my university professor who pointed out that much of the literature we now call classics was basically considered the reality TV of its day for the chattering classes by contemporaries. We only ascribe it a higher brow now if we make the assumption that older = better.

No TV in their room, it's in the lounge which is on the same floor as their room.

It does distract them and they can't concentrate on much afterwards. It takes a while for them both to get ready. It also affects his behaviour after he's watched a chunk of it. I let them watch a little TV after school to wind down and they can watch it weekend mornings so it does have it's place but he's getting up earlier and earlier and waking his brother who needs a but more sleep.

One of my children needs a lot of time to come round in the morning. She chooses to wake up almost two hours before we need to leave so she can sit and work her way up to being "on" for the day. If I asked her to do spellings and piano practice at this point she'd end up in a state, crying, and probably not going to school. We get out the door on time, it's factored in, so it's fine.

I'm going back now but my girls used to watch Balamory and Clifford whilst I put their hair up for school.

*bit more sleep

My kids all watch a bit of telly when they wake up. This gives me time to make a cup of tea in peace and get dressed. I then turn it off when it's time for them to get ready for school and have breakfast. It's not ideal and I'd love them to be practicing the piano (if we had one) or listening to a wholesome radio show but it's 2023 and screens are here to stay unfortunately!

I tried saying 'once you've had breakfast and are washed and dressed you can watch it' but they raced through all of that at 7:30am then I couldn't get them out the door without mayhem!

Don't hide the remote, set a boundary & explain why.

Honestly it’s ridiculous some people’s fear of TV.

I don’t normally let mine as they end up faffing like mad but if they’re 100% ready, and there’s plenty of time I let them watch it at the breakfast bar while they have their cereal.

One of my sons takes longer to get ready, doesn't want breakfast until 8pm and is easily distracted by his brother.

It was too hard working out when I could fit a short programme in as they are on very different wavelengths before school!