Do You Use Your TV as a Babysitter?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 06 Nov 2009 12:58 AM Don't be ashamed if you answered "yes." My BFF in Hawaii pays a TON of money to get Noggin, Nick Jr. and the Disney Channel, which is one of the reasons she unabashedly refers to her satellite provider as Diego, Dora and Kai-Lan's pimp. What's more, you won't catch my BFF cowering in a corner when confronted about her kids' television viewing habits. She doesn't flinch when admitting that she uses her TV as a babysitter quite regularly. In fact, she jokes about it all the time. My BFF reasons that if she were to hire a human babysitter, the teen in charge wouldn't hesitate to use the boob tube to keep the kids entertained. So, why, my BFF asks, should she drain her wallet twice--to pay the satellite provider AND the breathing babysitter--when the human kid caretaker is outsourcing her responsibilities to an electronic device paid for by my pal? Let's face it; there are very few parents out there who haven't, at some point in their lives, used the television as a mock babysitter. Bottom line: TV can be a real sanity saver. Not only does it keep kids busy while you grab a shower, unload the dishwasher, fold laundry or answer the phone, but also unlike some real babysitters, who need to be picked up and dropped off, given a list of rules and directions, and demand cash instead of a check, TV is accessible 24/7 and is extremely low maintenance. You'd think by my musings that I am a huge advocate of TV babysitters. I'm not. Fortunately, my daughter would rather read than watch TV (seriously, it is scary) and it also helps that we only have cable on a rotating basis. For a huge chunk of the year we live cable/satellite-free, which means that the Wonder Pets, The Fresh Beat Band, Handy Manny and the Backyardigans are not regular visitors in our home. With that said, I don't fault other parents, who use (NOT abuse) TV as a form of entertainment for their children. Interestingly, according to a new report, the number of parents who use television as a quasi-babysitter is growing. Research shows that young kids are spending more time in front of the TV than ever before. According to a new study conducted by Nielsen Media Research, children ages 2-5 are now watching TV about 32 hours per week. And they aren't alone. Research shows that kids ages 6-11 watch about 28 hours of TV per week. Researchers say the reason for the lower numbers with older children can be attributed to the fact that they are in school for much of the day. Still, according to the folks at Nielsen, the latest TV viewing figures are the highest they've been since 2001. Can't say that I'm shocked by the findings. How about you? How many hours do your kids spend in front of the TV per day? Related Articles: France Bans Baby Shows from Airwaves "American Idol" News: Kids Nearly Drown While Mom Watches Show Family TV Programming is Still Popular TV Network Tells Kids: "Go Outside and Play" Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments  tedgar |
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