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The Preschool TV Battle is Heating Up

Your preschooler may be more powerful than you think. At least when it comes to watching television. According to Nielsen Media Research, children ages 2 to 5 spend an average of 32 hours in front of a TV each week. For cable networks this means big business.  In the past five years, a slew of channels dedicated to preschool programming have inundated the market.  Since 2000, Nick Jr. has continually garnered the highest Nielsen ratings.  The Viacom-owned channel is dedicated solely to preschool children and is home of the mega-hit show “Dora the Explorer.” Riding the wave of popularity with … Continue reading →

Do You Employ High-Tech Sitters?

What do you use to keep your children occupied while waiting for your food at a restaurant, driving to grandma’s house or zipping through the aisles at the grocery store? I doubt the answer is dancing, unless you’re doing it on a video that you posted to YouTube and can be viewed on your kid’s favorite electronic device. Don’t worry; you aren’t alone. According to a recent survey, nearly 60% of parents admit to using a tech toy to entertain their children, and experts predict that number will likely rise in the next decade. In other words, iPads, handheld video … Continue reading →

The Bedroom TV

My father just offered to purchase a television for my daughter’s bedroom. I’m still waiting for John Quiñones to pop out of my hall closet because there’s no way my dad’s proposition can be legit. He’s testing me right? Like Quiñones does to all those unsuspecting individuals on “What Would You Do?” A new flat screen TV for my 8-year-old’s bedroom… riiiiight. From a guy who refused to allow me to touch our family’s TV, which didn’t move from its spot in the living room.  The same dad who mandated that an egg timer be set each time me and … Continue reading →

Creating Affordable Memories

  Not everyone can afford to take expensive winter trips to tropical locales to create magical family memories swimming with dolphins, paragliding over cobalt blue waves or cruising next to breaching whales. Heck, you may not even be able to pay for cable television, so that you can bond with your clan while watching “Home Alone” on ABC Family. I hear you. We live on a tight budget, so cable TV is not a luxury our family indulges in. While my young daughter would love nothing more than to cuddle up with the newest Disney characters, TLC reality stars, and … Continue reading →

Can You Really Afford Cable?

Forget about alcohol, tobacco, Facebook or chocolate; cable TV is one of the most addicting entities around. Just ask the kids who spend hours upon hours watching it. Then, ask the parents who use it as a babysitter. These days it doesn’t take much to get moms and dads to admit that they’ve used cable to keep their kids occupied. Got an important phone call to make, turn on Nick Jr. Want to use the bathroom in peace, switch it to Cartoon Network. Desperate for a few minutes of uninterrupted me time, Disney Channel to the rescue. Cable is undoubtedly … Continue reading →

Branded Kids

Last week: “Mommy, life is a fajita.” Last night: “Actually, Mommy, life is not a fajita; it’s a pulled pork sandwich.” Thanks, McCormick. My 8-year-old is not allowed to watch more than an hour of TV per day, but clearly that hasn’t stopped her from being sucked in by marketers hawking prepackaged spice mixtures. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if my child’s habit of integrating commercial content into her everyday life is triggered by the fact that she is limited to just 60 minutes of TV viewing a day. That hour is precious to her and she spends it … Continue reading →

When Make-Believe is Better Than Reality

You can’t turn on the television these days without wondering how it is that some things make it on air. And I’m not just referring to Honey Boo Boo. Even the commercials make me wonder if I am living in an alternate universe. Case in point: Motts for Tots. The TV ad features an adorable little boy innocently drinking his Motts for Tots juice box when all of a sudden his mom (let’s hope it’s his “mom”) comes up from behind and starts to squeeze and tickle him. While he is sucking on his juice box! What parent in her … Continue reading →

Finding A Babysitter

Getting a babysitter for the evening when you are a single mom is almost like getting a little vacation. It’s wonderful if you have family that can care for your child, but sometimes you have to get a babysitter, and that can be scary. Most teenage girls baby-sit at one time or another and the majority of them are really good with the kids. They are close enough in age to remember what is was like to be smaller. When you are looking for a teenage sitter, word of mouth is the best way to find a really good one. … Continue reading →

Do You Allow Your Kids to Watch TV News?

After reporting and anchoring local TV news for more than decade, I never considered tuning out the events of the day after giving birth. I’ve watched the evening news religiously since I was in high school and never dreamed there would come a day when I would be forced to wean myself from my 6 o’clock fix. However, that day has come. A few weeks ago, I was in the kitchen making dinner with the TV news on in the background when my 7-year-old came waltzing in. Typically, she’ll sit on a stool at the counter and try to snag … Continue reading →

Animated Doesn’t Always Mean Appropriate

I have a confession; I actually saw two of the movies that were nominated for a 2012 Best Picture Oscar: “The Help” and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” So, yeah, I guess pigs do fly from time to time. That monumental accomplishment hasn’t happened since giving birth to my daughter more than seven years ago, so you’ll have to excuse my forgetfulness. What can I say; parenthood = memory loss. Typically, if I recognize any title nominated for an Academy Award it’s from the Animated Feature category. That’s where I really connect with Oscar since becoming a parent. In fact, … Continue reading →