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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No TV school mornings

86 replies

woollencats · 27/06/2023 18:20

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.

OP posts:
Notmineagain · 27/06/2023 20:57

Atnilpoe · 27/06/2023 19:59

It’s my one absolutely non-negotiable rule!

Mine too. Ds is 7yo and has never watched tv before school. I really feel it's such an overstimulating way to start the day. He used to watch 30min after school daily but we have stopped that as he does behave a bit badly after, so he watches on a Friday - Sun. He seems quite happy with that as he finds other stuff to do which I think has had a better effect on him.

Curtains70 · 27/06/2023 21:02

Practice piano instead 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

kagerou · 27/06/2023 22:01

LifeIsPainHighness · 27/06/2023 18:41

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

Show quote history

Really? You can't see why it might be bad to have a TV in a kids room when their mum is trying to cut down on TV?

Or do things only fall into one of two camps in your world? - crack cocaine or totally healthy 😂

Glad to see OPs reply that the TV isn't in the kids room after all and it sounds like a good thing she's trying to cut down on TV time when it's causing her and her DC issues (or should she just not care about their attention spans and sleep quality since they're not smoking crack 🤔)

SnackSizeRaisin · 27/06/2023 22:26

Hmm - now wondering if my 2 year old is waking up early to watch TV. Would never put TV on in the morning normally so maybe he's worked out that the way to get it on is to wake up at 5.30?! (Can't cope with child care at that time so TV goes on!)

Gettingfleeced · 27/06/2023 22:33

Write a to-do list for your son (things like brush teeth, get dressed, read, practice spellings/times tables, tidy up bedroom, pack his school bag or whatever he could get on with independently) and then he can watch TV from the moment everything is ticked off until the moment you need to leave the house.

ferntwist · 27/06/2023 22:38

We’ve cut out all TV on weekdays for exactly the same reason. My DC age 5 was waking up far too early and rushing through to watch cartoons. After some initial resistance it’s gone down surprisingly easily and they now look forward to watching at the weekends as it’s special.

BigGreen · 28/06/2023 07:32

It's so hard to transition my kids away from the TV. So it would turn our mornings into a total battle.

Mintelderflower · 28/06/2023 07:36

It’s worth a try but I don’t think a 620 wake-up is massively early on a school day, to be honest.

As with most things, if it works for you it’s fine but it’s not a hill I’d personally hang myself on.

UndercoverCop · 28/06/2023 07:39

We don't have TV on in the mornings, radio with breakfast is fine.
Tbh even before DS we didn't put the TV on whilst getting ready, also only really put the TV on to watch something specific. At my brother's house it's on as long as someone is awake even when no one is watching it. DS doesn't really ask for it much because it's just not a thing, we do posted watch a film together at the weekend eh if we've been out during the day come back put dinner on and watch something while it's cooking. He will ask then

Lemonademoney · 28/06/2023 07:41

Oh wow I’m reading this and feeling like a shit parent… mine love breakfast in the kitchen with a bit of telly in the morning whilst I have a coffee and shower. We switch it off to go upstairs and get ready before school - we do all have dinner round the table every evening if that makes me less crap 🙈. Two of mine also have tvs in their rooms but only use them on weekends as we are so busy in the week with activities/play dates

jfshu · 28/06/2023 07:50

I don't mind TV in the morning, but the rule has always been no TV or tech (they only get tech on non school days) before 7am, to avoid waking up early specifically for it.

Original poster
woollencats · 28/06/2023 10:06

Thanks for all your replies. I explained to him last night that it won't be on first thing and he slept in an extra 45 minutes which did him the world of good.

It's certainly not a one size fits all. You are not a bad parent if your child can watch it on the mornings and switch it off without meltdowns and get on with what they need to do to get ready. It was causing arguments and was a distraction to my two. TV is not a bad thing.

As someone said up thread, if I said nothing to my DS, he'd spend the whole day on the couch watching TV or on his Switch. He loves a screen so I have to limit it at times.

OP posts:
Original poster
woollencats · 28/06/2023 10:13

Definitely not a shit parent Lemonademoney. If it makes your mornings go smoothly then great.

It's hard to transition mine away from the TV too. They do have it at other times (evening and weekend).

OP posts:
Harebrain · 28/06/2023 10:27

When mine were little, we didn’t have the TV on if it was a schools day. We listened to story tapes instead. (That’s showing my age!)

Theprincessisblanketed · 28/06/2023 12:06

It's funny I'm the opposite of all the parents here. Pretty much the only time my kids are automatically allowed TV is in the mornings when they are fully dressed/breakfasted/ready. Gives me a few minutes peace to check we've got everything/finish my hair/get myself together before we go.

We don't allow the kids TV on week day after school/evenings at all. At the weekend TV only goes on occasionally after dinner if we've been up to a lot and are tired.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 28/06/2023 12:12

I don’t allow telly before school because my son is completely distracted by it and it stops him getting ready. He’s a late riser though and needs to be woken at 7.30 ish to get ready.

I don’t have tvs in children’s rooms though

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 28/06/2023 12:13

He does have meltdowns about turning off tv or is very resistant to it, but he does have ADHD so struggles with the transition from screen to no screen

Trying2understand · 28/06/2023 12:21

We have always been no tv before school for the reasons you mention - I'd rather they sleep more, we aren't rushed, their behaviour is better without and less transitions. We are definitely a no tv in the bedroom family too.

I would be honest with them and then stick to the boundary of no tv before school without wavering. It may be hard the first few days.

maryberryslayers · 28/06/2023 12:26

Compromise. Let them watch a bit between 7&7:30.
Tell them they need to stay in bed until 7 then if they do they can have half an hour whilst they eat. They must then be dressed, packed and ready by 8:15 though,if they aren't then they loose the privilege of morning TV.

vivaespanaole · 28/06/2023 12:27

I think a little tv before school is ok. Depends on the nature of the child. And what you need to do to save your own sanity and get yourself ready in the morning.

However, i also had an early riser who would literally bolt out of bed the minute he woke up to do something fun if allowed. So i also had to make early mornings very boring to encourage him to not get up the moment he stirred.

Ie if we wake before the clock says 7 we lay quietly in bed and wait patiently. Or we quietly read a book. We come out of our rooms at 7. If he risks disturbing brother it could be that he sits in the lounge and reads a book.

Julesni77 · 28/06/2023 12:28

Wash and dress first, than breakfast and teeth, and if there is any time after that - then TV ensures there is no last minute rush to get ready and is very importtant in a neuro diverse family

Bopping298 · 28/06/2023 12:39

My kids have never watched telly before school because they are all late risers and we barely have time to have breakfast let alone watch something (school / nursery far away). However they have ALWAYS watched TV when they come home from school. I have 3 kids with small age gaps and the first barely watched telly but as soon as the second came along I found it to be indispensable - it allowed me to cook dinner for example, now with the 3rd I can give him his bath and put him to bed while the older two watch TV (they are below 5 years old). As my husband is never home before 9pm I just couldn’t do the evenings otherwise. I’m interested to know how others do the evening routine without TV if there is only 1 adult? I’m sure it’s possible but it would take more discipline and effort (and angelic children!?). I do love TV myself but I don’t like the fact that they watch it every day.

SunnyEgg · 28/06/2023 12:42

Yanbu none here either

LoopyLoo1991 · 28/06/2023 12:42

Make them watch the news channels instead. Hopefully that'll motivate them to get moving...

Thiswayorthatway · 28/06/2023 12:54

No TV (or any screen time) before school in this house, never has been (DC 8 and 12, the younger one much more a morning person than older sibling). DC help clearing up breakfast and read if any spare time in the morning, not usually much as we need to run a tight ship! Good behaviour rewarded with screen time after school, depending on homework.

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