Bad Parenting

If you've been reading this blog for a while now, you know I let my kids watch TV.  I'm not one of these parents who thinks that TV is evil and won't let my kids watch anything.  That would be hypocritical of me since I'm a TV junkie myself.  Always have been.  Plus if I ever want a moments peace, sometimes the TV has to go on.  I'd love to know how those parents who never allow their kids ANY television do it.  However, I do monitor what and how much they watch.  I try not to let them watch more than 3 shows a day. They only watch the kids shows on PBS or the cartoons on Disney channel.  They don't watch Nickelodeon, not because I don't think Dora isn't a great show, but I don't need them watching commercials and begging for more toys we don't need.  While Spongebob is a fun show for adults and older kids, I don't think it's so great for the age my kids are.   Sometimes they can watch a DVD, also very kid friendly, like Sesame Street or a Baby Einstein with an occasional Disney movie on a rainy or sick day.  So yes, I do try to be a good parent with what they watch.  That being stated...

A couple weeks ago Lana was in one of her moods. (What else is new?)  I had to go out to run some errands and my in-laws were here.  Lana was not wanting anyone but me, but I had to leave.  Even though she had watched a bit of TV that day, I let her go to my room to watch Curious George I had on the DVR in there.  This made her quiet and happy and made me able to leave.  When I returned she was playing and in a better mood, and I forgot all about the TV being on back in my bedroom.  

About an hour later I was in the midst of getting the girls ready for bed.  Georgia was in the tub and the older girls were supposed to come join her when they finished their food.  Instead they ran around the house and ended up in my bedroom.  After a couple minutes I realized they were being unusually quiet.  

"Girls?"  I inquired.  Nothing.

"GIRLS?" I asked louder this time.

"What?" Sonya asked.  

"What are you doing?"  She didn't answer me, so I asked again.  

"We washing somting," Lana informed me.

I quickly went through in my head   how they could be watching something in my room.  Then I remembered I never turned off the TV from earlier.  So now not only am I a bad parent for letting my kids watch so much TV, now I've wasted electricity.  I couldn't figure out what they were watching.  After the DVR show is over, if you don't do anything, it'll eventually go back to whatever channel you last left it on.  In our bedroom, however, we have the DVR set up to record shows. When it goes to record a show, it has to turn to that channel.  So I hesitantly asked, "What are you watching."

Sonya wasn't sure what to say, "Ummmmm-this!  Come here, look!"

I ran to the bedroom and there were Sonya and Lana sitting on my workout step (which hadn't yet been away from earlier) craning their necks up at the flat screen TV on our wall.  I followed their eyes to see what it was they were so into and realized, no biggie,  it was a cartoon.  WAIT!  It was a SOUTH PARK cartoon!  Now, I used to be a huge fan of South Park and will still occasionally watch it.  It's always made me laugh, but it's designed to make ME laugh, not my kids.  

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"  I frantically searched for the remote control to turn it off.  

"What, that was a good show!" Sonya protested.

"It's not for little girls," I told her.

Then she wanted to know why.  As I stood there with images of Kenny getting killed, Cartman's annoyed statement of "screw you guys I'm going home", and Mr. Hankey the Christmas poo, all I could think to tell her was, 

"Just because it's not, now go take your bath."

They both reluctantly got up from the step, realizing their entertainment was not coming back, and went to the bathroom.

I then turned the TV back on, cancelled the South Park season pass and added Sesame Street, Mickey, and Word World.  Then, for good measure, I found Dora and put that on there too. I figured it's better for them to see commercials then Mr. Hankey.  Well, at least until college.