The Big Switch Off
29 04 2008
Traditionally the television has been a friend to this household. While I wouldn’t say it’s been used as a babysitter, it has certainly been handy for keeping the munchkins occupied while things got done. Those days, however, have come to an end.
In recent times I’ve seen a direct correlation in Finn between poor behaviour and watching television which I’d never noticed before. We have a tantrum every time the telly has to be turned off and he is much more argumentative and naughty afterwards. So yesterday I decided that there is no more telly for the kids. I’ve even turned it off at the powerpoint.
I’ll let you know how this goes for us.
We did exactly the same, a few months ago. After an all-out ban, we’ve now re-introduced a few programmes, but we’re extremely picky about what and how much. He’s allowed “For the Juniors” (an ABC Kids Science Show), and a few nature documentaries from John’s work programmes. We do think there’s quite a big link between TV and behaviour round here.