Julie Solich

It's been a couple of months since we lifted the TV restrictions and I am amazed. This week the kids have been turning the TV off and playing outside for long periods of time or coming in and choosing to listen to books on tape and they have even been drawing and writing something I thought they would never do again it's been so long. I thought it would take six months at least for the novelty to wear off. I know they will still have their days where they watch lots but that's okay. I know I can trust them with this. I really know it. It's such a relief!!!

We rented Return to Neverland this week and the kids loved it (and promptly went outside to sword fight). I remembered that we had Hook on video somewhere in the cupboard so I hunted it out and we watched that. I haven't watched it in years. The kids absolutely loved it and I did too.

I thought there was so much unschooling in it. Don't get so grown up that you forget what it is like to be a child. Don't get so caught up in providing for your children that they miss out on what they really need; your love and attention. Play games with your children. Take risks, have fun! Don't spend your life planning your children's lives and lose them in the process. And remember, to live is an adventure!

Julie

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Olga

Julie,

Thanks for posting this. I am struggling with this issue myself.
Caught between there are better things they can be doing and worried
it will encompass their whole lives! I still restrict it because at
this time that is my comfort level. But, I am letting go and letting
them watch much more than they could before. A work in progress! So
it is nice to hear it is working for you, maybe that will give me
more courage to let go even more.

Olga :)
--- In [email protected], "Julie Solich"
<mjsolich@i...> wrote:
> It's been a couple of months since we lifted the TV restrictions
and I am amazed. This week the kids have been turning the TV off and
playing outside for long periods of time or coming in and choosing to
listen to books on tape and they have even been drawing and writing
something I thought they would never do again it's been so long. I
thought it would take six months at least for the novelty to wear
off. I know they will still have their days where they watch lots
but that's okay. I know I can trust them with this. I really know it.
It's such a relief!!!
>
> We rented Return to Neverland this week and the kids loved it (and
promptly went outside to sword fight). I remembered that we had Hook
on video somewhere in the cupboard so I hunted it out and we watched
that. I haven't watched it in years. The kids absolutely loved it and
I did too.
>
> I thought there was so much unschooling in it. Don't get so grown
up that you forget what it is like to be a child. Don't get so caught
up in providing for your children that they miss out on what they
really need; your love and attention. Play games with your children.
Take risks, have fun! Don't spend your life planning your children's
lives and lose them in the process. And remember, to live is an
adventure!
>
> Julie
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Shari

---
HI,
The only television that is watched here is at noon when my 8 year
old watches "Toad Patrol" on ToonDisney and at 4:00p.m. to watch
Cyberchase and on Fridays the ToonDisney movies.
Ofcourse my dh being a television addict watches at night.
If I had my way there would be no television,because we enjoy(the
girls and I) reading more.

Shari



In [email protected], "Julie Solich"
<mjsolich@i...> wrote:
> It's been a couple of months since we lifted the TV restrictions
and I am amazed. This week the kids have been turning the TV off and
playing outside for long periods of time or coming in and choosing to
listen to books on tape and they have even been drawing and writing
something I thought they would never do again it's been so long. I
thought it would take six months at least for the novelty to wear
off. I know they will still have their days where they watch lots
but that's okay. I know I can trust them with this. I really know it.
It's such a relief!!!
>
> We rented Return to Neverland this week and the kids loved it (and
promptly went outside to sword fight). I remembered that we had Hook
on video somewhere in the cupboard so I hunted it out and we watched
that. I haven't watched it in years. The kids absolutely loved it and
I did too.
>
> I thought there was so much unschooling in it. Don't get so grown
up that you forget what it is like to be a child. Don't get so caught
up in providing for your children that they miss out on what they
really need; your love and attention. Play games with your children.
Take risks, have fun! Don't spend your life planning your children's
lives and lose them in the process. And remember, to live is an
adventure!
>
> Julie
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

moonstarshooter

>A work in progress! So
> it is nice to hear it is working for you, maybe that will give me
> more courage to let go even more.
>
> Olga :)

I posted a little while back about lifting the tv restrictions in my
house. I don't regret it for a minute! I had already started
letting my daughter (just turned 6yo) watch more than I had before
when I started reading on this group. So I may have been one step
ahead of you, but you are definitely going in a great direction.
Yes, my daughter watches quite a bit of tv, but I am amazed at how it
gets her juices flowing.

Her mind is SO much MORE active all the time now. She even tells me
about how she would have had the story end, or how she would have
acted in a certain situation. Yesterday as I was sitting on the
couch and she was watching tv, one of the characters wrote a note
that had PS- at the end of it. She asked me what that meant. After
I explained it to her, I wondered when that gets introduced to
schooled children.

Just little stuff like that all the time. I love the
question about what Steven Spielburg would have become if his mom had
limited his tv viewing. Or Bill Gates with the computer.

So anyway, just another vote in the "To TV" direction. Take the
plunge! The water's great!

Fetteroll

on 5/16/03 1:18 PM, Shari at teach2kids2002@... wrote:

> If I had my way there would be no television,because we enjoy(the
> girls and I) reading more.

If there were a thread where parents were discussing children and allowing
unlimited free reading and you liked TV more would you say "If we had my way
there would be no books because we enjoy watching TV more"?

Apparently you feel that TV is a less useful way to spend time than reading
and you need to let people know that you feel superior (and perhaps relieved
so you don't have to deal with a love of something you dislike) because you
and your daughters don't like TV much.

That feeling and the need to tell people about it is worth examining for
yourself. If you don't learn well physically would you post to a thread
about biking and skateboarding that "If we had my way there would be no
bikes or skateboards because we enjoy books more"? What would a statement
like that be for? What purpose does it serve? (Those are questions to ask
yourself.)

TV is a resource. Books are a resource. Bikes are a resouce. They're there
to be used when they're useful and turned off or put away when people are
done with them.

TV is also not a homogenous entity any more than books are. They both range
from sublime to trashy. The difference is that we get to pick and choose
books before we bring them into our homes. With TV we have to pick and
choose after the full range of choices comes into our homes.

It's perfectly legitimate to not like visual media if you don't learn
visually. Just as it's perfectly legitimate to not like books if someone
doesn't like to read. (Naturally doesn't like to read. Not doesn't like to
read because of bad experiences in school.) But it's worth asking yourself
why you need to tell a 1000+ people that you don't like something when
they're trying to deal with something their kids do like.

Joyce

Heidi

Hi Julie

I'm still biding my time, with my 10 year old boy. He's still
in "Mom's letting me watch/play computer THIS MUCH? I don't believe
it!" Hubby had a little problem a few days ago, not wanting to let
him play computer for no reason (there was nothing else going on, he
just was getting edgy about how much "screen time" the child is
doing) and I told him "It'll end. It's only been a month or less.
Let's give it some more time."

We have had a few days where my son chose Other Than TV/Computer
Games, so I figure, once the saturation level is hit, he'll get into
other things. Our committment to Natural Learning is only about a
month old, so I figure, we started Summer VAcation a little early!
Ain't gonna fret. *gulp*

I'm going to be saving your post, btw. Putting it in
my "TV/Video/Computer" bookmark. thanks!

HeidiC


--- In [email protected], "Julie Solich"
<mjsolich@i...> wrote:
> It's been a couple of months since we lifted the TV restrictions
and I am amazed. This week the kids have been turning the TV off and
playing outside for long periods of time or coming in and choosing to
listen to books on tape and they have even been drawing and writing
something I thought they would never do again it's been so long. I
thought it would take six months at least for the novelty to wear
off. I know they will still have their days where they watch lots
but that's okay. I know I can trust them with this. I really know it.
It's such a relief!!!
>

zenmomma2kids

>>If I had my way there would be no television,because we enjoy(the
girls and I) reading more.>>

We enjoy them both. I don't think I'd ever classify my kids as
literature "addicts" just because they're drawn to reading LOTS of
books though. They go after many things with a passion. TV is just
one more learning tool in their lives.

Life is good.
~Mary

Mary

From: "Heidi" <bunsofaluminum60@...>

<<We have had a few days where my son chose Other Than TV/Computer
Games, so I figure, once the saturation level is hit, he'll get into
other things. >>


And don't forget, for those dealing with lifting any restrictions at all,
that the saturation point can be so very different depending on the child
and the circumstances. So what might take one family a month to deal with in
a good balance may take another family 3 months.

Mary B

Julie Solich

> Hi Julie
>
> I'm still biding my time, with my 10 year old boy. He's still
> in "Mom's letting me watch/play computer THIS MUCH? I don't believe
> it!"

Heidi,

My kids were waiting for me to change my mind for a little while, not quite
believing it was going to be forever. I really tried to sit and watch with
them and that helped me heaps.
My daughter went through a Pocohontas phase. She watched it 3-4 times a
day. I was getting worried then I sat down and watched it with her, really
watched it, and I saw what she loved.
A young girl full of life, excited by all the beauty of the world around
her. She wasn't scared of the unknown and she was full of courage to be true
to herself.
My daughter is only 4 and maybe she didn't get all that from the movie but
I'm sure she got some of it. And isn't that what we want for our daughters
(and sons!)?
Seeing that movies have the power to inspire huge things in our kids allowed
me to get excited with my kids and when I started bringing home movies for
them with excitement instead of resignation, I think they realized that I
wasn't going to change my mind and also that I wasn't resenting the time
they spent watching.

So don't fret!
And it's nice to know you're out there making changes like me. A lot of
people in my life are looking at me like I am ruining my kids.

Julie

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Heidi

--- In [email protected], "Julie Solich"
<mjsolich@i...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> > Hi Julie
> >
> > I'm still biding my time, with my 10 year old boy. He's still
> > in "Mom's letting me watch/play computer THIS MUCH? I don't
believe
> > it!"
>
> Heidi,
>
> My kids were waiting for me to change my mind for a little while,
not quite
> believing it was going to be forever. I really tried to sit and
watch with
> them and that helped me heaps.

Robby also loves it when I ask him about his puter games. And gets
the downright giggles if I get into a game that he's excited about
(Blasterball is his/our current favorite) "I've addicted mom! I've
addicted mom!" L


>
> So don't fret!
> And it's nice to know you're out there making changes like me. A
lot of
> people in my life are looking at me like I am ruining my kids.
>
> Julie

Thanks Julie, I'm really trying hard not to fret...it can be hard,
though, especially in the "people looking at me" sections of life.

HeidiC

[email protected]

In a message dated 5/17/2003 11:39:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
bunsofaluminum60@... writes:


> So don't fret!
> > And it's nice to know you're out there making changes like me. A
> lot of
> > people in my life are looking at me like I am ruining my kids.
> >
> > Julie
>
> Thanks Julie, I'm really trying hard not to fret...it can be hard,
> though, especially in the "people looking at me" sections of life.

Have you not seen the old sig line: " What you think of me is none of my
business"?

Whose? Tia's?

~Kelly


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Robin Bentley

> >
> > Thanks Julie, I'm really trying hard not to fret...it can be hard,
> > though, especially in the "people looking at me" sections of life.
>
> Have you not seen the old sig line: " What you think of me is none of my
> business"?
>
> Whose? Tia's?
>
> ~Kelly

Yup, that was Tia's.

Robin B.

Tia Leschke

> >
> > Thanks Julie, I'm really trying hard not to fret...it can be hard,
> > though, especially in the "people looking at me" sections of life.
>
> Have you not seen the old sig line: " What you think of me is none of my
> business"?
>
> Whose? Tia's?

I haven't used it for a while, but yes, it was me. I actually swiped it
from the title of a book. I'm not even sure I read the whole book, but I
really liked the title. Anyone who wants to can use it. >g>
Tia

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
saftety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin
leschke@...

Heidi

--- In [email protected], Tia Leschke <leschke@s...>
wrote:
>
> > >
> > > Thanks Julie, I'm really trying hard not to fret...it can be
hard,
> > > though, especially in the "people looking at me" sections of
life.
> >
> > Have you not seen the old sig line: " What you think of me is
none of my
> > business"?
> >
> > Whose? Tia's?
>
> I haven't used it for a while, but yes, it was me. I actually
swiped it
> from the title of a book. I'm not even sure I read the whole book,
but I
> really liked the title. Anyone who wants to can use it. >g>
> Tia

I heard it from a friend who does Mary Kay "What other people think
of you is none of your business." I like it!

HeidiC