For quite a while now we were giving Matthew one show per day...mainly out of necessity so I could take a bath and get dressed while knowing he was safe and engrossed in one of his favorite shows. We tried to limit it to one show per day, but depending on how I felt or what needed to be done, that number would slowly increase.
I noticed a change in behavior when he would watch his shows. He would be more clingy, whiny, and throw temper-tantrums when he wanted a show. He would constantly bring us remotes and cry for a show or go pat the tv and start fussing. If he watched one show, he wanted more and would cry. No one else could watch anything else unless we wanted him to try to take the remotes, cry, and throw a fit. It was not awesome.
We had a particularly busy Saturday a couple of weeks ago and noticed that he hadn't had a show all day and he was being really good. I was so impressed with his behavior that we did the same thing Sunday and continued it into Monday. Once we made it past a few days (with hiding the remotes so he wasn't tempted to ask for a show) I noticed that not only was he happier, but he was also more interested in his toys and was able to entertain himself much more. Our clingy boy who was throwing tantrums had calmed down and he was less "high needs."
Obviously, this change has continued and we're two and a half weeks out. His skills have improved immensely and so has his speech! He now brings books or toys into the bathroom when I need to get ready for the day instead and he is doing so well. I honestly can't believe what not watching tv has done for him!
Personally, I have no issues with him watching a show every now and then, but I'm a little apprehensive about putting one on right now. I'm sure we'll re-introduce it at some point, but for right now, I'm loving his behavior and how well he's doing. We still have our tablet with apps and a couple of shows for emergencies while out, but have yet to need it and I'm hoping that continues for a while.
Has anyone else cut back on shows and noticed an improvement?
1 comment:
Love this idea!! The husband & I have talked about because I believe that electronics have taken over our lives & we are teaching our kids that's a necessity in life. {I'm not a TV watcher and will go all day without every turning it on}. The issue I think we will have is that the husband turns the TV on first and will sit in front of it all day long.. like a zombie. So if I can keep the husband away from the TV all day I'm sure it will be easy to not introduce TV time into our lives or make it a 'special time' - like Sat cartoons with Dad.
I hope you keep up with the no TV. I believe to be a huge significant drawback to ourway of life now.. that and social media. Look forward to reading the updates on this topic!!
<3,
Amy
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