Coping with TV Addiction in a young child
Our little son was very good at communicating his need to watch tv before he could even speak. As 15 month olds they communicated with us via sign language as we had taught them from age seven months basic signs for milk, various animals, food, ‘more’, ‘help’. We made up easy signs when required and the sign for ‘tv’ was always urgently made by Morris (hands in a T-shape). We figured that being a bright, chatty boy he probably liked watching television as a way of switching off and relaxing. He would, however, spend huge chunks of warm sunny days in front of CBeebies (no ‘adverts tv’ allowed) while the rest of us enjoyed the outdoors, begged him to come out or endured his moaning and crying if we made him come outside.
We’ve now had to ban any tv watching in our house since a recent incident at our friend’s 40th party made us realise Morris’ addiciton had affected all of us and spoilt what was a lovely occasion with loads of children and adults having fun (he sobbed, fumed, threatened constantly for over an hour when he realised there would be no option to sit inside to watch ‘just 1 minute’ of his beloved CBeebies. With little information on what to do if your 5 year old is so attached to telly watching that he can’t survive a fun afternoon without it we decided he and the rest of us needed to go cold turkey and live without it, and any kind of computer (the kids not us), until at least the end of the school term.
Amazingly after a couple of days of pleading with me to watch it, being sad and droopy on coming out of school knowing he’d be without his fix he now comes home and Does Interesting Things and plays with his two sisters. All three of them play together so nicely. I’m not sure how we’re going to reintroduce tv especially when I have been guilty of using it as a babysitter especially since January when the new baby arrived or during the school holidays when I’ve had some work to do.
The first day of withdrawal I let them have the remaining 30+ set of Mr Men books I had bought for them at a book sale when they were very tiny. They have loved putting them in order, hearing all the stories and generally leafing through them.
We have started planning fun, non-tv activities which will not cost a fortune to look forward to in the holidays. I have promised that the tv will be allowed again once the school holidays begin but it is likely to only be before breakfast. The room where their tv is has now been turned into a guest room.
The kids agreed that they will help me keep the house a nice place to live in and in return I will take them strawberry picking once a week (and have told their classmates’ mums that we will be doing this each Wed at 10am if they want to join us), we will try making new things in the kitchen (melted chocolate muffins and caramel popcorn being high on the list), we will maintain the school concept of ‘playtime’ after their lunch so they get outside for a while even if it isn’t gorgeous weather, we will go for walks up the local hills (there are many), we will feed the ducks, go to a Saturday morning cinema matinee (£1 per child and adults free apparently), we will visit the Roman Baths in Bath, we’ll stay with their Aunty who has generously offered to babysit for a day and take them to the city farm, we will use their many many toys (puzzles, crafts sets, cars, dolls, dressing up clothes, musical instruments) and those they don’t enjoy we will take to a charity shop, I will read them the first Harry Potter book, they will read to me, we will dance to my CD collection, we will make up tunes on the piano, we will explore nearby towns we haven’t yet visited, we will have picnics, we will not turn into tv junkies.
I liked this blog when trying to find out more about actual TV addiction:
Television Addiction: Dealing with the only form of addiction that society condones and encourages.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
a great post! really interesting i know what you mean about the tv. i’m guilty too of using it as a babysitter but then not wanting it to take over, tricky getting the balance right. i liked what you said about maintaing the outdoor play time through the holidays as “planned ” activity. i think i’ll make a conscious effort to do this, we tend to spend quite a bit of time outside but the more the better i think- should wear them out and i think they seem to be happier and play better outside for some reason. thank-you for your inspiration!
July 14th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
The child in question is now a totally different character after just a few tv-free weeks. He joins in, he plays games, he reads and reads and reads. we are busy trying to determine the tv watching rules for the sumemr holidays and so far we have agreed that it will probably be limited to CBeebies Bedtime Hour after their bath while I am getting the baby to bed.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:49 am
Can’t believe I’m having to start thinking about this already when little babber is only 16 months – and I feel we’ve hardly watched any TV. But one weekend with me poorly and the Wimbledon final on, and he’s taught himself to turn on the TV, sit on his little chair in front of the TV and grab the remote…just like Mummy does.
Interesting to see that you’ve managed to turn your TV addict round so quickly. Good motivation for continuing my plan of it not becoming a habit.