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Parenting

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Original poster

DD wants a TV in her room!

127 replies

Tw1nkle · 08/09/2013 18:45

We're thinking about getting a tv for our DD's room.
We currently have Sky, and whilst I would like to get rid of it, it costs a small fortune it does have REALLY good parental controls.

If we keep sky, we can get multiroom for my DD's room, and use the great controls.

However - she will be 5 - is this too young - even with the parental controls? She's pretty good, and would only have it on when she is allowed.

Advice appreciated!

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Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 16:43

I can't work out how my two have grown up so well adjusted in, whatever have I done to them?

It has nowt to do with eating into family time. They are mainly in the living room talking over what I want to watch if there's nothing they want to watch in their rooms.

And get this-sometimes we switch the TV off in the living room and have a conversation/play a board game.

SPsTotallyMullerFuckingLicious · 09/09/2013 17:00

@ Sparkling

Having a TV in another room doesn't mean I will leave him in there all day. He has an hour a night.

Strangely enough it doesn't effect his sleep either.

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 17:05

Noo SPs all children with TVs in their bedrooms watch it all night every night without fail you are wrong. They are naughty and don't understand 'turn the TV off'. Allegedly.

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General parenting

KatoPotato · 09/09/2013 17:15

While I was getting ready for work this morning DS was sat on my bed watching tv. I usually put something on Iplayer but noticed bert and ernie was on channel 5 so I left the TV on...

Within five minutes some adverts came on, something about a Cars racing track, but the super fast voice over and quick editing had him almost hypnotised! It was scary!

BookWorm37 · 09/09/2013 17:20

Sparkling and SPs why can't you just give your view and experience like everyone else has. Your sarcasm and passive aggressive 'humour' comes across as being defensive. Do you regret letting your DC have tvs in their rooms?

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 17:26

Nope Bookworm, it doesn't seem to have made any difference to them. Sorry about being sarky, I am a bit bewildered about it all.

In my experience they have both had a TV in their bedroom for years and it has never ever caused a problem, it really hasn't.

As with everything we all make decisions to suit our families, and that's what we did.

DragonsAreReal · 09/09/2013 17:32

Not everybody has a dining room/playroom/study/den(boak)/big enough kitchen for an extra tv in another room thats not a bedroom.

Not everyone on MN is middleclass wanabee upper....

usualsuspect · 09/09/2013 17:34

It's,a very MN thing, this no TV thing.

Nearly as bad as the .'I own a million books' thread.

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 17:34

Well we haven't got a second room downstairs, if we did we would have the PS3/telly in there-that would be great.

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 17:35

or 'crisps in the lunchbox' usual.

usualsuspect · 09/09/2013 17:36

Or kids only drinking water or milk.

DragonsAreReal · 09/09/2013 17:36

Noo sparkling are you saying you don't cram lentils and chickpeas into lunch boxes

BlackMogul · 09/09/2013 17:36

I have noticed that children in my extended family who watch a lot of television on their own have a lack of things to talk about. Same goes for video games. They are not naughty, difficult or not good at school work , but they have very limited general knowledge because no one takes them anywhere or shows them anything. It is too easy to sit in front of the telly or play the games on the computer,o r even watch other people who have got good scores on the games. apparently this is possibe. Such a shame when there is so much else to do. Every child needs some down time and enjoyment, but I have noticed that advertising to young children is powerful because children do not have the experience to be discerning. There can be behaviour issues when the child is asked to stop watching/ playing. I also think it s wrong that children are given complete control over what they watch when they are young. Being a parent means being unpopular occasionally.

DragonsAreReal · 09/09/2013 17:40

Yes of course children who watch tv never do anything else ever! Their whole poor lives consist of waking up watching tv then going to bed watching tv....

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 17:48

Mung bean salad Dragons, every day since Reception.

The key words in your post Black are 'a lot'. My DC watch no more TV than anyone else, even though they have them in their room.

Plus, and I know this won't be popular but you can see things on the TV that you would never get to see in real life and learn stuff. It's not all cartoons and Disney channel. DS2 really likes a quiz show, and Perfection is his current favourite.

BookWorm37 · 09/09/2013 17:50

Sparkling I agree that we all make decisions to suit our own families. People shouldn't assume though that those that choose not to allow tvs in their children's room are looking down their noses at those that do allow it.

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 17:53

Sorry Book, maybe I was feeling a bit like that was the case. I knew I would be in the minority, but got a bit defensive I suppose.

redlac · 09/09/2013 18:01

All those saying TVs in bedroom affects good sleep, you do know that they switch off? It's not compulsory to have it switched on all the time. :)

I'm a bit that just because there is a TV in a bedroom it means that it affects sleep and makes your child into a child who doesn't read, can't hold a conversation and that they are locked in there rooms getting square eyes - like everything, everything in moderation and as a parent I am in full control of her viewing habits whether in the living room or when watching Netflix in her room

2kidsintow · 09/09/2013 18:06

I'm amused by the way some of the posts seem to infer that the mere act of having a tv in the bedroom ruins sleep quality.

My DDs have tvs in their rooms. They sleep well. Because they aren't allowed to have it on at night. I know some parents allow it (often for an easy ride at bedtime) but I'm not one of those parents. It's what you let your children do with the screens, when and for how long that determines the impact it will have on their sleep/schoolwork etc.

BookWorm37 · 09/09/2013 18:10

Sparkling- no worries.
I agree with the previous poster in that it is the amount of time spent watching the tv that is the more important issue rather than where it is watched.
I admit my children watch more tv than I'd ideally like them to.

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 18:14

My two went through a phase where they would come in from school, drop kick their bags into the hall and just go to the living room TV and switch it on.

I told them that wasn't acceptable. To just trawl through for something/anything to watch. Only put the TV on if there is something on IYKWIM.

lljkk · 09/09/2013 18:33

Honest question: how do you make sure the tv is off at night? Do you check the room frequently, say every 10-20 minutes all night? Is it turned off remotely? There is no way DC wouldn't have it on in middle of night if any opportunity presented itself.

Mind, as a child I used to watch 7+ hours of tv most days, think I wore out my quota coz I generally struggle to watch more than an hour a week in the last 3 decades.

Sparklingbrook · 09/09/2013 18:48

I think it depends on your DC lljkk. Once mine are asleep it's like waking the dead so they wouldn't wake up and put the TV on.

But they are of an age they take themselves to bed because they are tired and they want to go to sleep.

But even when they were small they didn't try to watch it all night, I don't think it occurred to them.

lljkk · 09/09/2013 18:59

Mine are too devious for own good.

LegoDragon · 09/09/2013 19:17

My DC have a TV in their rooms. It's nice for the and gives them down time, and has controls on. At night, when I check on them, I take out the plug thing completely from the TV and keep it in my room, but they're always asleep by then anyway- and it's not late when I check on them! They love the TV and don't watch too much. Spongebob and Dora are their favourites, they love watching some films for their age which we have too. They also read, draw and play. Having a TV means we can watch what we want and is good for me and the same as watching the main TV but we both get to watch what we want.

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