TV

Over a month ago we decided to give up TV during the week. I was pretty convinced that it was causing more stress than relaxation. Caroline was constantly asking when they could watch what program.

Driving home, I would often hear "Will Toot and Puddle be on? Are we going to miss Toot and Puddle!?" Or earlier in the day, "If we watch Franklin now, will be able to watch Miss Spider later? Will we, will we?!" The stress in Caroline's voice suggested crisis, not tv.

All the scheduling and questions combined with the research that suggests that tv is not the ideal thing for the developing brain, led to a decision- no tv during the week. After a few weeks, I felt great about my decision. Our weekdays were calmer and I was sure that Caroline's behavior was better on tv free days.

At one point, without realizing her wisdom, Caroline asked "Is it like there is caffeine in tv?"

I have decided that for her, yes, it is like there is caffeine (or something stronger!)in tv.

Last week with school out and non-stop rain, I decided that watching tv during the week might be ok- at least until camp started. Mid week Caroline's behavior began to deteriorate. You could argue that most of the problem was a different schedule but if you were living it, it truly felt like more. By Friday, we decided to turn the tv off. And amazingly, Caroline's behavior had improved dramatically by Sunday.

There is something to this. I hate to think what Caroline's brain is going to do on real caffeine...