For all of you lot who have tvs in your kids rooms

[fishfinger]

i made ds1 read this this morning

[handlemecarefully]

I'm quite surprised at the pasting too flashingnose. Whether the tv is on all day, switched on for 10 minutes illicit viewing of Open University or used as a post modern art installation - I couldn't give a monkeys .

[handlemecarefully]

Still, the rich tapestry of life which is mumsnet...

[mammamia123]

Just a quick note from a newcomer.
Everyone can do what they like of course, but it can't be right/healthy to have the TV on in the background all day, it can't be right to have to worry about remembering to watch certain programmes (you would be fine if you missed them, really) and why not let the children watch what they would like to see for an hour or so in the evening, after dinner/homework, etc. and if DH wants to watch something else, put a TV in YOUR room for him to watch.
Okay, self-righteous rant over.

[mizmiz]

TV isn't going to really make a difference either way in a stimulating supportive home. However there are vulnerable children whose general development,particularly language (and I speak as a SALT) will really suffer as a result of a tv droning away in the background as a poor substitute for interaction and stimulation.

I go to many homes where there is no table to eat at and every discussion is a fight between me and the tv.

I'm running baby signing groups at the moment and we are looking into getting Sure Start funding to produce a DVD which will be distributed at the 8 month check.

We know this will be made use of,unlike a lot of the other stuff that is given out. (eg books!)

[wordsmith]

Can't stand the thought of a TV in kids' bedroom. When DS1 watches the TV in the living room he turns into an ignorant zombie, you have to shout at him to get him to respond. However.... he is very active during the day and at school so I have no probs with him having TV chillout time before bed. All kids need to flop occasionally. I know he would become a total addict if he had one in his room, tho, he's that type of kid. Needs saving from himself!

We don't have a TV in our room and on the rare evenings I get to flop in front of the TV there's NOTHING interesting on. I would be quite happy to get rid of it myself apart from watching corrie and the news! But then I'd miss things like Live 8 and the nerve tingling announcement yesterday from Singapore! So on the whole it's marginally a good thing. Just wish they'd make a few better progs.

[PeachyClair]

mammamia123 I see your point, but some of us spend most of our evening on our own ( ) and don't necessarily feel particularly secre that way. The TV makes me feel as if I am in ahouse that is 'populated', iykwim.

Just as a note, ds's language development a1 DESPITE hearing problems in ds2. But we do always eat at atable in another room, and we have only the one TV set up. Kids have a playroom in a room behind us (no we're not at all posh, twas the dining room, table is in kitchen). We also spend a lot of time doing crafts, for example I make all my own cards and sell some too, I have a Rainbow Unit (til I can get someone else, it's 60 miles away!) and we are in a carnival club that means spending Sundays running around a Somerset corffield with a football.

So, it's all about balance isn't it? If it's on whenever you're in, but you're not often in, well then...

[handlemecarefully]

Peachyclair,

Don't let this thread make you feel awkward....

[kgc]

PeachyClair totally understand how you feel...even though I do not want a TV in my DC rooms I love the main TV in living room on constant as my husband is at work long hours and feel it is a source of comfort for me and relish this....from Cbeebies to Big Brother it is like you said a populated house

[mandyc66]

my ds1 has a tv in his room. but the others dont.
He likes his own space

[Caththerese1973]

lol@handlecarefully (re: tv as 'postmodern art installation' (!).
this thread has really got people going and it's so interesting to see what all the different thoughts are. Maybe it's just because I'm Australian (ie maybe its a cultural thing) but I am really surprised at how many people have more than one tv in their house! TV in the bedroom in australia, either parental or children's bedroom, is pretty rare over here. I know it is a commonplace in America but I am surprised that it is also common in the UK (which as far as I can tell is where most mumsnet posters live).
MY dd (who is two and a bit) always watches tv while she eats her dinner. Or rather videos. Mianly Thomas the Tank Engine and Postman Pat. The reason for this is that in my current accomodation we have no dinner table. And even if we did, it might be a bit grim, seeing there's just the two of us, if I tried to impose a big 'dinner table' routine on her. It's amazing how kids react to Thomas. Hannah (my dd) knows ALL their names and I can barely tell them apart. I say, there's Henry! And she says 'no mummy, that's Percy.' We even have a nappy changing game based on Thomas the Tank Engine. The nappies 'talk' and assume various personae based on the Thomas the Tank Engine characters (this was introduced because she is so querolous about having her bum changed).

[mandyc66]

can i add ds1 is almost 15!!!!!!

[Lizita]

Yes this thread caused a row between me and my boyfriend. He isn't my dd's father, and isn't playing father (he's over twice a week) so i always have the last word . He accused me of being "extreme" when I said I wouldn't want dd to have a tv in her room till her mid teens, and reacted as if i was taking HIS TV away! I think he freaked out because i grew up without one and was worried i'd go down THAT extreme route... not a chance! Amazing how strongly people feel!

[TwinSetAndPearls]

complete turn around for me this week.

As I posted earlier we don't have a tv in the living room downstairs or anywhere downstairs just a portable upstairs in study.

DD had a friend to stay over the weekend who is a big TV watcher and had bought some dvds to watch. As dd had a dance show sat night and I knew would be over tired I said I would put a portable in her room so she and her friend could watch a film while lounging on her bed.

Dd loves the tv so we have left it in her room, let her watch a video in her room as she was hot and bothered. Am I on a slippery slope here? What Have I done?!

[mandyc66]

If you can monitor her viewing i think its fine!!!

[TwinSetAndPearls]

We have left it in another night, mainly becuase we can't be bothered putting it back in the loft.

The tv isn't conected to an ariel, so she can only watch dvds on it, and we only have one! Don't think she will become too addicted

[leonardodavinci]

they watch tv downstairs, that's just our way, we share the sitting, the cuddling, have to say they are brilliant readers must have done sone good.

[kgc]

lets hope she doesn't TwinSetAndPearls.... LOL

[Vaunda]

Hi,
I have a son who out of a class of 30 is the top of the class. he is capable of doing yr 6+ wrk and his SATS results reflected that.... now tell me why or how this is possible according to that report considering he has had his own tv/dvd/video player since the age of 2yrs old.
I will tell you why because I take the time with him to interact and TEACH him. I have since the day he was born explained to him what things are and what they do etc. He was reading and writing by time he was 26 months old albeit a few words he could read he could still read them.
Now at the age of 7 (29th July) he has the reading age of a 12/13 yr old and the same learning age level. I don;'t go with the tv in the bedroom causes problems... i do however go with "Parents not spending enough time with their children causes problems.

[SleepyJess]

What about TVs in kids' bedrooms that can only be used for videos? Is that supposed to be as bad? It bothers me to think that I could be affecting DD's development in some way, but she does like to watch her fave vids (Disney mainly) in her room. Rarely watches a whole one in one go though. The portable is not tuned to any tvstations so only works for the videos,

[Vaunda]

Lockets, My son did and still does play BUT u also take the time to teach him. At this present moment he is not playing or watching TV he is doing his hours reading, HIS choice.

[NannyL]

there is NO way my kids will have TVs in there rooms, at least not before secondary school age

[ABow]

I agree with QoQ that parents and environment probably has a bigger impact on learning than whether or not a child watches TV.

Also, just to really put the cat amongst the pigeons I don't think these are especially good quality studies. The New Zealand one is probably the best of the bunch, but there simply are not enough children in the studies and way too many confounding variables to be able to categorically say that the differences in development are down to the TV watching.

[FairyMum]

I think it is the amount of tv which matters. Tv can be pacifying, but children can learn from it too if they watch good programmes. I like to watch tv with my children so we can talk about what we are watching, but I allow them max. 1 hour a day. I would never have tv in a child's bedroom nor our own bedroom. I find tv in bedrooms quite common I'm afraid.

[KiwiKate]

I'm with you lockets. My DH was given special lessons in junior school because he was considered gifted (he is rather brilliant), and was way ahead of his peers academically - but it made for a very lonely and isolated childhood because the other kids were either jealous or could not relate to him. The amount of time given to honing his talents at junior school level meant that he did not have as much time to develop on his own or to learn to interact socially (play and have fun with his peers) as other kids did. Even to this day he finds social situations difficult. Even his dad now admits that a lot of the academic focus should have been left till later years and he would not have suffered so much socially (and would probably still have been brilliant academically/scientifically)

A friend of ours has a DD who is bright and was very keen to read. She is about a year ahead of her peer group in reading. The mom helps out at the school, and was really shocked to see how isolated her child is now in the setting of the classroom. The normal lessons bore her, and when she gets special lessons to stimulate her, the other kids just cut her out - and unfortunatley this spills out into the playground as well. She does have some friends, but they are all much older than her and often are engaged in activities that are beyond her. The mother now really regrets her over-encouragement of learning to read before school going age (even though the DD was the one who showed the interest). She says if she had known how it would affect her socially, she would have given some encouragement, but given a lot more encouragement to letting her play and be a kid and let her be more within her peergroup range (even if at the top of it, but not way beyond it). This lovely little girl now has such a complex because the other kids are not very friendly to her at school.