The Parent Perspective -
June 2009

The Parent Perspective is a monthly feature where parents tell us how their families navigate today's media-saturated environment.

This month’s parent perspective, also available in Spanish, comes from Yessica, mother of Marcus who is three and a half years old. Yessica lives in Brooklyn, NY. Read about how she and her husband monitor their son’s TV use.

As a mother, I believe that it is my obligation to monitor and limit what my son views on television. I do not think he is old enough to be exposed to most of what is on TV today. When my husband and I are watching at home and something comes on that is inappropriate for Marcus, we turn off the television or change the channel, but there isn’t always a warning.

For example, one morning while Marcus and I were getting ready for school, I was watching a popular morning news show and an unannounced segment aired about women who have lost their jobs and turned to exotic dancing for money. I understand the timeliness of the subject matter, but in a brief moment, Marcus saw the women dancing on the screen and was in shock. I am sure there are plenty of children who get ready with their parents while they are watching morning shows as part of their daily routine. For this particular segment, there should have been a warning from the network, especially for parents.

If it was up to me, I would not have a television in our home. The increased violence on TV frightens me, and I do not remember so much of it from when I was growing up. My husband and I do follow the media guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics in terms of what shows Marcus should watch and how much time he should be watching at home.

I also go with my gut feeling, so if there is a show that I don’t think is appropriate for Marcus to watch, then we won’t watch it. For example, I think that SpongeBob Square Pants is too aggressive for Marcus. Most of the shows on Nickelodeon are targeted for older children, so we avoid that network, but we enjoy Nick Jr., especially Noggin. I like it when Marcus watches shows on Noggin because it helps children learn without watching commercials. He likes to watch Blue’s Clues in the morning before going to school. He also enjoys Yo Gabba Gabba and Ni Hao, Kai-lan.

My husband and I live in Brooklyn, and we are huge fans of the Brooklyn Academy of Music Kids Film Festival, designed for children of all ages. Last year was the first year we went with Marcus, and we purchased tickets to films designed for ages 2-5. The short program features 13 international films ranging from 1 minute to 8 minutes each, which is perfect for the attention span of my son. This year, however, we could only get tickets for ages 5-8, and the films were much longer. Although Marcus enjoyed his theater experience, I noticed that he had a harder time paying attention toward the end. In terms of going to see other movies, I monitor that too. Sometimes Disney movies are not always appropriate for younger children. For example, Finding Nemo is a great movie, but it was too much for Marcus because of the sharks.

Marcus is generally not a huge fan of video games. We prefer play time in the park and trips to the museum. We are not interested in purchasing expensive video game systems in the near future, but Marcus has laptops where he plays word and number games. VTech makes educational laptops appropriate for all age groups. He really likes to use his laptop, especially when my husband and I are using our own.

When we have a babysitter watch Marcus while my husband and I are out, I prefer that Marcus not watch television. Marcus’s bedtime routine includes reading books that he selects in both English and Spanish. We will always continue to monitor and limit what he watches, as we reasonably can.

For the Spanish version, click here.

If you'd like to share your own experiences or suggestions in a Parent Perspective, email us at cmch@childrens.harvard.edu