Good morning, it is 6:10am here and the kids are watching Thomas the Train on the good ole' VHS. Yes, we still have one, and yes we still have plenty of movies to accompany it too,and yes my husband also has a Blu-Ray. I was thinking about what I could write about to incorporate our day yesterday and the word "play" came to mind. Yesterday, I took the kids to the workout facility that I am a member of and instructed them, " make sure you guys play and not watch the tv". It bothers me that they even have to have a tv on, to be honest. I mean, kids get enough tv, movies, etc at home why do they need to be entertained by it when they go places? So my kids read books, played on the castle and with the toys that were provided for them. I mean, geesh, it's not like I'm gone for 5 hours, especially now with new little Hannah, it's more like 40 minutes.
For the most part, when my kids are watching a movie, even in the morning, they are pulling their Thomas the Train wooden sets and designing intricate railways through our home, or bringing their huge pile of metal cars and race track and playing with them. They rarely just watch . I don't even mind the tv, really. I mean that's why they are watching a movie now. I really do feel it serves it's purpose , at times. Especially in the early pre daylight hours....I'm sorry, Momma isn't ready to start " functioning" . Moriah is the only one that can't really wait, I will make her breakfast and set her down before I go off "blogging" :)
I am pretty passionate about play and what my kids play with. I may even be considered a little extreme...besides some few quality toys, in my mind, that are branded, ie: Thomas the Train, I despise branded toys. I feel it robs a child of the ability to funciton and imagine on his/her own because all they know is how that character acted/talked on tv so they replicate that in real life. Think I'm making this up? This has been backed up by statistical data and it makes me so sad. There are a few good books at the library, and more that I should ask my sister in law about, that I have read , but cannot remember the titles. One, " Last Child in the Woods" or " The Art of Play"- you can amazon them. Anyways, I'm not into poki-mon, sponge bob ( Help me!) or any of the other fad toys. They bother me, I'm sorry. When my kids are older , they can deciede but for now...I am tyring to steer them awy from consumerism in any way I can.
Why do kids need to be occupied all the time with tv and movies. I mean seriously , are we dumbing them down that much that they can't make it threw a car ride without a movie? My kids fly and ride in cars for hours with no tv and you know who does perfectly fine, they do! I load them up with sticker books, books, audio cd books, rubber animals, my little ponies , etc. and they enjoy their ride to the fullest.
I remember when I was little and traveling down to Tennesse how my Mom would pack us a special bag full of fun toys. That was one of my favorite memories. I would open teh bag and there woudl be silly puddy, Mr Potato Head, one of those viewer things were you put it on yoru eyes and change up the pictures, songs to listen to, books to read, etc. We had so much fun, enjoying eachother and laughing in the backseat :)
Please do not feel judged if I don't like the same toys you like, or your kids play with. This is my OWN conviction. I just want my kids to play outside, learn new things, not get caught up in consumeristic trends and know how to function without something entertaining them. I just checked on them, they are playing legos- no, there are no instructions or step 1,2,3.....they are just using their imaginations....the way I love it!
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