B and I have fallen into a bad habit. A this-is-the-easiest-way-to-mom habit.
TV.
If someone would have told me before B was born that I would let my child watch TV before she was 2 years old, I would have said, "No way. Don't you know kids that young aren't supposed to watch TV?"
Well.... real life happens. And B really, really likes TV. How easy it was to slip into a habit of watching more and more as time went by. First, it was Dora. Now, it's every show on Nick Jr. At first, it was just one or two per day. Then gradually she started asking for it more often and before I knew it, it was quite often throughout the day. Truthfully, it bothered me, but I could get so much more done in the day. So, I just let it go.
Finally, today, I decided that it's not how I want to parent B and while I don't think a little TV is bad (she's actually learned quite a bit), I don't want to let it be a babysitter or do it just because it's easier. I want to "plan" our days better with more assorted activities. Besides, the days that she watches more TV, the whinier she is.
Before the day started, I was a little nervous about how it would go, how rough of a day it would be. Happily, I can say it went well. Most of the time, she responded well after she would ask for a TV show (which was quite often) and I would tell her no and suggest another activity. We played a lot in her bedroom today and it was a lot of fun!
When Ryan got home, we were going to take a birthday present to his sister. (I am trying something new this year...getting people's presents to them on their birthday. :)) We stopped by her house, but her car wasn't there, so we decided to grab some dinner and try again later. After a mostly successful eating out experience with an almost two year old, we headed back to her house. Unfortunately, she had just left for a dinner date with her boyfriend, but we hung out with her kids for a little bit before heading home.
I am thankful for a great day while changing things up in our household.
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