Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] Digest Number 1596
Julie Stauffer
<<that television viewing is always benign>>
Of course it isn't always benign. But I don't think that is the issue. I
think the issue is who decides when it has become malignant? How is that
decision arrived at?
I have a very sensitive 10yo dd. "Matlock" scares her. When something is
coming on that I think might cause her problems, I say "This program is
about such and such. It might be too scary for you." Then she decides if
she wants to watch it or not.
She went through several months of sitting on her behind watching television
reruns all day. She was crabby and tired all the time. I pointed out that
I thought she would feel better if she got her blood flowing, got outside.
SHE decided that she would give it a try and SHE decided that she agreed
with me.
Was television viewing benign in those situations? No. But Adriane was
able to found that out for herself and I feel that I have to trust her to
find those things out.
Other times, I have been dead wrong with my suggestions. We have fire ants
here and little kids just love to stir the mounds and watch the ants
scatter. Marsie, then 3yo, loved messing with the ants. I told her to be
careful how she played because when the ants bite it really hurts and might
make her cry. She blew me off and has spent the 2 years since then happily
picking up fire ants and letting them crawl all over her without ever
getting bit. We call it "the force" (It is either that or the ants can tell
she's gonna taste bad). She has learned a tremendous amount about insects
and trusting her own decisions. She would not have learned either if I was
a "good" mom and kept her out of the ant piles.
Julie
Of course it isn't always benign. But I don't think that is the issue. I
think the issue is who decides when it has become malignant? How is that
decision arrived at?
I have a very sensitive 10yo dd. "Matlock" scares her. When something is
coming on that I think might cause her problems, I say "This program is
about such and such. It might be too scary for you." Then she decides if
she wants to watch it or not.
She went through several months of sitting on her behind watching television
reruns all day. She was crabby and tired all the time. I pointed out that
I thought she would feel better if she got her blood flowing, got outside.
SHE decided that she would give it a try and SHE decided that she agreed
with me.
Was television viewing benign in those situations? No. But Adriane was
able to found that out for herself and I feel that I have to trust her to
find those things out.
Other times, I have been dead wrong with my suggestions. We have fire ants
here and little kids just love to stir the mounds and watch the ants
scatter. Marsie, then 3yo, loved messing with the ants. I told her to be
careful how she played because when the ants bite it really hurts and might
make her cry. She blew me off and has spent the 2 years since then happily
picking up fire ants and letting them crawl all over her without ever
getting bit. We call it "the force" (It is either that or the ants can tell
she's gonna taste bad). She has learned a tremendous amount about insects
and trusting her own decisions. She would not have learned either if I was
a "good" mom and kept her out of the ant piles.
Julie
meghan anderson
<<Yeah, but do you really think that moms who report
signs of crabbiness
and
unhappiness from kids who are getting a lot of screen
time are being as
silly as
moms who don't want their kids to wear red?
Maybe there really is a bad vibe that some people can
feel coming from
cathode
ray tubes. **Are you 100% prepared to dismiss as
goofy the
observations of
parents who find TV viewing time influences their
child's behavior?
I realize there is a big brainwashing in our culture
about TV being
evil, but the
fact that some propaganda exists does not in itself
prove that no
criticism of
television is true and that television viewing is
always benign.
** or maybe I've seen too many episodes of the
X-files?
Betsy>>
<<There y'go. Evil TV made you unreasonably afraid of
TV.
Sandra>>
Sandra,
Nowhere in Besty's post do I read (or read into it)
that she's afraid of TV! I'm really baffled (after
reading quite a bit of your posts) as to how you reach
your conclusions. I'm not trying to start another
childish rant here. I am genuinely curious about your
thought process. Because I cannot seem to follow your
interpretations, they are so different from how I see
(and read!) things.
Meghan
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signs of crabbiness
and
unhappiness from kids who are getting a lot of screen
time are being as
silly as
moms who don't want their kids to wear red?
Maybe there really is a bad vibe that some people can
feel coming from
cathode
ray tubes. **Are you 100% prepared to dismiss as
goofy the
observations of
parents who find TV viewing time influences their
child's behavior?
I realize there is a big brainwashing in our culture
about TV being
evil, but the
fact that some propaganda exists does not in itself
prove that no
criticism of
television is true and that television viewing is
always benign.
** or maybe I've seen too many episodes of the
X-files?
Betsy>>
<<There y'go. Evil TV made you unreasonably afraid of
TV.
Sandra>>
Sandra,
Nowhere in Besty's post do I read (or read into it)
that she's afraid of TV! I'm really baffled (after
reading quite a bit of your posts) as to how you reach
your conclusions. I'm not trying to start another
childish rant here. I am genuinely curious about your
thought process. Because I cannot seem to follow your
interpretations, they are so different from how I see
(and read!) things.
Meghan
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals
http://personals.yahoo.com
Tia Leschke
>Looked to me like Sandra was joking.
>
><<There y'go. Evil TV made you unreasonably afraid of
>TV.
>
>Sandra>>
>
>Sandra,
>Nowhere in Besty's post do I read (or read into it)
>that she's afraid of TV! I'm really baffled (after
>reading quite a bit of your posts) as to how you reach
>your conclusions. I'm not trying to start another
>childish rant here. I am genuinely curious about your
>thought process. Because I cannot seem to follow your
>interpretations, they are so different from how I see
>(and read!) things.
Tia
Tia Leschke leschke@...
On Vancouver Island
**************************************************************************
It is the answers which separate us, the questions which unite us. - Janice
Levy
Elizabeth Hill
meghan anderson wrote:
I assume that Sandra was responding in kind to my humorous postscript.
Humor can be really flat in a post, unless you expect it.
Betsy
>Hi --
> ** or maybe I've seen too many episodes of the
> X-files?
>
> Betsy>>
>
> <<There y'go. Evil TV made you unreasonably afraid of
> TV.
>
> Sandra>>
>
> Sandra,
> Nowhere in Besty's post do I read (or read into it)
> that she's afraid of TV!
I assume that Sandra was responding in kind to my humorous postscript.
Humor can be really flat in a post, unless you expect it.
Betsy