Xander Week 66 - Curious George
January 28, 2008
When Xander was very young, Zach used to hold him on the couch and watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. For as long as we can remember, the sound of The Daily Show has been soothing to Xander - when he hears it, he will quiet down and listen - especially to the opening music.
I had read/heard that “excessive” television for children under the age of two alters the way their neurons fire in their brains. As a result, we have all but eliminated television from Xander’s daily routine. He’ll watch some on special occasions - as other family members houses, and sometimes in the late afternoons at day care. For the most part though, he doesn’t watch it, and rarely expresses any interest in it.
Recently however, we discovered a few shows on PBS that seem to be about Xander’s speed. Out of curiosity one day, we watched an episode of Curious George. Much to our surprise, our son (who up until this point never expressed interest in watching anything for more than a minute or two) loved it!
Although he’s still a few months shy of 1 1/2 years old, I decided that 1/2 an hour a day probably isn’t going to turn his brain to complete mush. Plus, it lets Zach and me unwind for a few minutes when we get home before we start with toys, books, dinner, bath, etc. Now, in the afternoons when we turn on Curious George, Xander squeaks with delight. This is one of the first characters that Xander has recognized. So much so that last weekend when shopping with his aunt (Mandy), Xander found a shirts with a Curious George logo and refused to let go. Mandy eventually bought the shirt for him. It’s a little too big, but he loves it…
After about 1 half hour show (2 adventures), Xander has had his fill. He gets down off my lap, and goes in search of toys. This makes me hope that my son won’t be a television addict, but I’m glad that we can relax together an enjoy this show. So Xander’s first official “favorite” character is Curious George - given his love of bananas and climbing, this seems somehow poetically appropriate.
Sara,
What are your feelings about TV, if you didn’t have Xander to think about. I struggle with this as I feel I am addicted to TV. That is how I was raised. I wish I didn’t watch so much but I try hard not to and then my husband turns it on. Emily is never watching it but it is always on in the background. I wish we could un-TV our lives but it is hard when the spouse isn’t on the same page as you. What do you think? It is a hard issue.
Take care,
Mary B.
Hi Mary,
I’ve actually thought a lot about your question since you posted it. I’m not sure if we’re addicted to tv. Certainly we watch it most nights when we get home. We’ve got a digital video recorder (like Tivo, but through our dish company). This makes me feel less addicted, though I don’t know how much of a difference it actually makes. I don’t feel like I “have” to watch television at any given moment, because I know whatever I want to watch I can record and watch at my leisure. If Xander interrupts and wants to play with something, it’s easy to pause, play with Xander and go back to the television after he is asleep. So I don’t know if this just gives me the illusion that I’m not really addicted because I can turn it on or off at will, or if it really helps with the “addiction”. Also, there are some nights that I would prefer to read. Those nights, Zach often plays a video game and I read a book on the couch. We feel like we’re hanging out, though we’re actually doing very different things. So I guess the long answer to your question is that I don’t know. I know that I could turn the tv off for a few nights, a week, etc., but I also know that the shows I want to watch would be waiting for me when I turned the tv back on. You question however, has definitely had me thinking a lot about television lately and the effect it has on our family. Thanks for the thought provoking question!