How old should a child be before they have a TV in their room? [Archive]

alphamommy

09-18-2009, 01:54 PM

I had lunch with my sister and brother-in-law today. They are quite a bit older than me (more the age of parents).

They have an idea of what they'd like to give our DD9 for Christmas this year: at small TV and a DVD player for her room (she'll be 10 in January). Their theory is that she can use it to watch movies when DH and I are watching something else, or when she needs to "chill out" a little. I told them that DH and I would need to discuss it.

I will admit that, when she was younger and still needed a nap (but didn't think she did), I would put our portable DVD player in her room and let her fall asleep to a movie. However, I could easily unhook that and remove it. I'm not sure I'm ready for her to have her own TV, even though it wouldn't be hooked up to cable or satellite. In fact, I just found out this morning that a 7-year-old who goes to DD's bus stop has a TV and a Wii in her room. This little girl was surprised to find out that our Wii is in the living room.

Does anyone have an opinions on this? I will talk to DH tonight, but wondered if I'm the only one who thinks this is a little young.

Thanks!

Mickey'sGirl

09-18-2009, 02:18 PM

All TV's, computers and gaming systems are centrally located in the family room of our house, EXCEPT for a TV that is in my room. We take turns and compromise when deciding what is to be watched, played etc. We know what they are looking at on the Internet, what they are watching on TV, and what kind of games they are playing on the gaming systems. I feel it is my job to keep an eye on these things.

It is my opinion that no child needs a TV or a player in his or her room. Our guys have radios/cd players, and books (I am a huge reader). That said, our boys have PSP/DS hand held gaming systems. They can take them to whichever room of the house they want to when they play. If they have friends over to play/watch etc, DH and I make ourselves scarce, and they have use of the electronics in the family room.

ozmom

09-18-2009, 02:36 PM

Does anyone have an opinions on this? I will talk to DH tonight, but wondered if I'm the only one who thinks this is a little young.

Thanks!

I think you may have answered your own question. If you feel she is a little young for this (I agree) then she is and you are using your good mother instincts. :thumbsup:

DizNee143

09-18-2009, 02:37 PM

i believe i was 8 when i got a tv for my birthday!
i had basic cable..you know channel 2 - 13..
i dont really remember watching a lot when i was that little..but i was happy i had my own..
when i lived with my parents everyone had a tv in there rooms..plus one in the family room, den, kitchen, and computer room..
i dont think its too young..and with technology now-a-days you can still easily limit her viewing pleasure to what you want her to watch..

llamaface

09-18-2009, 03:06 PM

I had a TV in my room from the time I was about 11 or 12. Did I love having it - absolutely. Will I get one for my children - absolutely not. I remember how much time I spent in my room in front of that TV - I don't want the same for my kids.

Disney Doll

09-18-2009, 03:14 PM

momofdisneyprincess

09-18-2009, 03:15 PM

I'm with Mickey'sgirl. The VCR, computer, tv is all centrally located in our family room and playroom. I do have a tv and vcr in my own bedroom. My DD6 is quick to point out that I have one in my room, she should have one in hers. I told her that when she is 18 and legally an adult she could have one. This is becoming a battle because a lot of her friends in 1st grade have one in their room, believe it or not. Including her BF, whose house she sleeps over. Not sure if this is because she is at a private school or not. In any case, it's not something I agree with. Way too hard to monitor when it is out of sight it tends to be our of mind.

MNNHFLTX

09-18-2009, 03:26 PM

We allowed my son to have a TV in his room when he was about 9. Big mistake! He could not really focus on doing his homework at his desk when the temptation to watch TV was there. So the TV had to come out.

When we moved to our current house when my son was 13, we waited a while but eventually got a TV for the upstairs gameroom which is outside of his bedroom. So if he or his friends don't like what we are watching on the big TV downstairs he can watch what he wants upstairs. But not in his bedroom--in fact, he doesn't even like the idea of watching in his bedroom. To him a bedroom is for sleeping and that's it.

VWL Mom

09-18-2009, 03:33 PM

My boys had the TV/VCR combo in their room when they were younger. It had limited channels and was used mostly to watch their movies. They weren't allowed to be up there all day, they would watch their movie/show and then come back down. I think your DS & BIL have the same type of setup in mind and your DD would be thrilled.

cajunprincess

09-18-2009, 04:18 PM

Well, I may be a horrible mother, but my 4 year old has a small tv/dvd player in his room. We live with my mother-in-law because my father-in-law died and she has to be able to watch what ever she wants to on her tv in the living room which is totaly understandable, but my 4 year old is not going to watch house hunters 24 hours a day 7 days a week. (I love that show so it doesn't bother me) He is not allowed to stay in there all day long. In fact, after the show/movie he is watching is over, he has to come out and we do arts and crafts and things with the family. This has worked out well for us, and he usually doesn't watch it every day.

d_m_n_n

09-18-2009, 04:43 PM

My kids are 12 and 7 and they have a tv (our old one from the family room) that is hooked up to a DVD player, but has no channels/cable. I didn't really like the idea of them having it, but they use it so seldom I sometimes forget it's there. Since we all pretty much have the same taste in television, it doesn't pose much of a problem. If they do want to watch a show, they can go in my room. I just hate seeing other families where everybody has their own and nobody interacts with each other... :(

PirateLover

09-18-2009, 04:48 PM

I got my first TV when I was 9. I didn't have cable until high school, and even then it was only the most basic channels. I didn't get real cable until college! Anyway I don't necessarily think it's a terrible thing, you just have to think about when you would let her use it. If you do get it, just lay down the rules. And if it is just for movies, then don't let her keep the movies in her room. I think that everyone needs alone time, even kids, but the problem occurs when the TV watching is left unchecked and the TV basically becomes a babysitter.

betteratmk

09-18-2009, 04:49 PM

I think you have to know your own child, when DS was 9 he had an extensive operation. The recovery was long and painful, we bought a small tv for his room that had a DVD player so that he could watch movies during his recovery. we live on a steep hill so that unless you connect to cable or Dish, there is no watching tv!! If my child had the ability to watch whayever or was a tv junkie, I would not have allowed it at that age. Ds is now 12 and only uses it infrequently during a sleepover or when he is sick.

Missy_Mouses_Dad

09-18-2009, 05:03 PM

DD14 has had a tv in her room since she was about 9. The only time it is really used is when she is in bed..the noise helps her fall asleep (DW has the same problem). Homework is done at the kitchen table where she is in full view at all times. TV is not a problem. Getting her to clean her room on the other hand!! :bang::bang:

dnickels

09-18-2009, 05:33 PM

When they can pay for it on their own! :thumbsup:

In all seriousness though I agree with the other posters who are against it. Television should be for the family/living room, not the bedroom. People have already mentioned the concentration factor, and the does the child really need to watch more TV? factor.

I'd also add that watching TV in bed is a bad habit to get into because the mind starts to associate being in bed with being awake rather than sleep. Purely anecdotal of course, but among friends that I've polled, those who have trouble falling asleep overwhelmingly have a television in their bedroom while those who can go right to sleep don't have a TV. It's not a hard and fast rule, but I've heard enough stories to believe there's something to it.

And just because I was curious I went to google -if you search television in the bedroom you'll see some studies that discuss the issue and they're also overwhelmingly in the 'no' category.

gueli

09-18-2009, 05:43 PM

I think it is a matter of parental choice.
Like many people here, the TV in our home is ment for family use (there is one in our (parents) room also.
The Idea is not to have our DD isolated. What we watch is family time.
Would she like her own TV ? Of course she would. But as her parent, I wish to be mindful of the time spent in front of the "tube".

To me it is not a question of how old, but a question of if you are willing to make TV personal time instead of family time.
:mickey:

Daisy'sMom

09-18-2009, 08:09 PM

My children got their tvs for their 16th birthdays. Not before.:mickey:

2Epcot

09-18-2009, 09:31 PM

Our son is only a few months old, so I have time to decide, but I'm thinking probably sometime in his teens. I'm a huge TV watcher, since I was a kid. My brother and I shared a room up till high school I think we had a TV when we were around 12. I think I want my son to read a lot more than I did.

Ian

09-19-2009, 11:59 AM

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but DD has had a T.V. with cable and a DVD player in her room since she was 3. For his birthday, DS3 will be getting one, as well.

Technology is what it is these days. I don't try and fight it.

The Wii, though ... that's in our room! ;)

Scar

09-19-2009, 01:24 PM

When they can pay for it on their own! :thumbsup::ditto:

Yup, that's when I got my first one.

TikiGoddess

09-20-2009, 09:34 AM

When they can pay for it on their own! :thumbsup:

That's our sentiment too. At least for the time being... our girls are 4 and 6. We're a little unusual in the fact that we don't let the kids watch TV AT ALL during the week. On the weekends they might watch a movie (or if we go see my parents they watch a movie in the car), but other than that, no TV.

I never thought we'd be able to do without TV when the kids were younger. We used to let the kids watch 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the evening every day. Then one day my DD came home from preschool and said "it's TV turn off week". She insisted that we turn them off for the entire week. At the end of the week we noticed that the kids really didn't miss the tv... they were playing together, looking at books, etc. -- so we never went back to it!

Sorry I'm getting off topic. I know it's not for everyone, not watching (or watching very little) TV. So -- in this case, I would follow your instincts.

Kathy

TheVBs

09-20-2009, 10:36 AM

I definitely agree with the know your own child approach. A few years ago DH and I clashed over this issue. He wanted the girls to have a tv/dvd player in their room and I didn't. After a lot of discussion we went ahead with it, but the important thing to note here is that having one in their room does not remove our control of when it's on or what they watch. It's rarely used, but it has been great when they are ill and stuck in bed. We pop in Disney movies of course. :thumbsup: We also balance tv time with outdoor time and family time. Our kids could easily go without tv for several days. And if we took it out of their room, I don't think they'd even notice. If I didn't feel I could still control what they watched/when it was on, I would not have allowed it in their room.

SBETigg

09-20-2009, 11:11 AM

We opted not to allow TVs in the kids rooms. We prefer them to have a place to turn away from the noise and electronics. Bedrooms in our house are for quiet time, for thinking, recharging, resting, and doing homework or other creative work that requires a peaceful setting free from distractions. We prefer to watch TV as a family, or sometimes split up-- we have two TVs in watching areas that are not bedrooms.

I have nothing against TV. I do have something against kids being on their own for long hours with TV and no human interaction. When they're younger, it's easier to say that you make sure that doesn't happen. But when they hit the teen years, you might be surprised at how things change and you might regret some habits you fostered in their childhood. You might not. But, if you don't yet have teens, it's something to consider. The teen years will bring unexpected new challenges, and that TV in the room might be one of them.

Ian

09-20-2009, 02:39 PM

SBETigg

09-20-2009, 03:25 PM

Ian, I understand your point and if banning TV was in question, I would be in full agreement. But limiting viewing to public rooms is a far cry from banning viewing and I doubt it would send kids to a TV feeding frenzy when they're out of parents' sight to simply not have TVs in their rooms. At least, it didn't work that way here. Not having a TV in their rooms did not make my kids any more or less interested in TV. Having one in their rooms may not have made that much difference, either. I'll never know.

Disney Doll

09-20-2009, 03:38 PM

I'm struck by all the people who say their kids have TVs in the bedrooms, but hardly ever watch it. If your kid honestly doesn't care if it's there, then why have it?

Ransom

09-20-2009, 03:40 PM

I got my first TV in my room when I was 13. There was no remote. You had to get up and walk across the room to change the channel or even adjust the volume! And I only had half a dozen channels on UHF. VHF brought in a dozen or so more, but most of them were sort of fuzzy or required a lot of fine tuning in order to come in clearly.

That was good enough for me, so it should be good enough for anyone.

Now get of my lawn!

TikiGoddess

09-20-2009, 05:12 PM

Food for thought here ...

Like many things, if you make a big secret out of it and try and keep it away from your kids they tend to gravitate towards it.

My kids have T.V.'s available to them and have no interest in them. They'd much rather play outside or play with their toys or throw the football around.

In fact, many times I'm like, "Daddy needs to get some things done around the house. Why don't you guys go watch a little T.V. for a bit." and all I get back are groans and moans. Most of the time they don't even bother with it ... they just go up to the playroom and play there for awhile.

Conversely, I had a friend when I was young whose parents let him watch one hour of PBS per week and that was it. Guess what the only thing this kid wanted to do when he went to friends' houses was? Yep. Watch T.V. We'd all be outside running and playing sports and he'd be inside glued to the tube.

Probably not the case with all kids, but I'm just sayin' ....

Putting a TV in a child's room assumes that they are responsible enough to control their watching time and the content they're watching. What age does that happen? And if you choose to put a tv in their room before they are responsible enough, how are you going to control their watching time?

We limit our kids exposure to tv because they can't do that yet. We're trying to teach them moderation. They still get to watch (on the weekends and at Grandma's house where she makes the rules ;)) but it is controlled. It's like dessert. We let them have a small dessert after dinner most nights, to teach them that sweets are okay in moderation.

And Ian, I knew a guy who never watched TV when he was a kid. He grew up to be a very creative artist with a fantastic sense of humor. Kids may complain about what we impose on them but it's for their good in the long run.

Kathy

azdisneymom

09-20-2009, 05:17 PM

My kids were in high school. DH even got them cable, something I wish could have waited. While my kids continued to do well in school we hardly ever saw them except at meal time.

Personally I don't think it would hurt to wait a few years. A compromise might be to move a small set in once in a while for movies when friends come over.

prprincess

09-20-2009, 05:32 PM

When they can pay for it on their own! :thumbsup:Totally agree on this one! I got mine when I was able to pay for it on my own, and so did my sister. We were both in high school at the time, and both held part time jobs.

Only thing, it was still bad and at those ages we should have still been monitored. It caused us to lock up in our rooms and watch. We'd even be watching the same shows, and could have probably benefited more by watching together in the family room.

Jeri

09-20-2009, 06:32 PM

My boys share a room, they are 6 and 12 and they have a TV, VCR, DVD, and Sat. TV in their room. They also have a computer hooked to the internet.
I find they have the tv on the Disney channel mostly when they are up there for noise. 6yr old doesn't feel alone when playing by him self

They both know that they may not go on the internet without asking first. We also have their computer hooked up to mine and Dh so at anytime I can pull up their computer on mine and see what they are doing.
We have told them that we will trust them untill they prove otherwise.

So far they have never proven us to be wrong. They have had this all in their room since our oldest was about 4, and they youngest has never not had a room with out.

We feel you need to set rules and give them the chance to learn and be mature and resposnsible with their choices. So far this has been working for us.
We let them know the rules and expectations and what happens if they aren't followed.
I think too many kids these days are not aloud to learn how to make decisions for themselves and when they are finally on their own have no clue how to do it.

DVC2004

09-20-2009, 06:47 PM

Well...I never had one until I was an adult and lived on my own.:blush: My mother would not buy us our own. We had one TV for the whole house. I remember having a video game console and having to play it late at night on the weekend because everyone wanted to watch thier shows. LOL but we have 5 TVS in our home, three of them huge, one in the garage and then my kids have one in their shared room. I think we gave them our old tv/vcr combo when they were 5 and 7. However, it was not hooked into out cable service so it was only used for watching VCR tapes (kids movies). Oh and they had an old video game console hooked up too with age appropriate games.

About 2 years ago they got another old TV of ours and this time we did hook it up to the satellite. We blocked the channels we do not want them to watch. They are fine- they handle it well. They are 10 and 12 now. Mostly watch Disney channel/Nick/Cartoon Network. Have I caught them watching TV when they were supposed to be in bed- yes, on occassion. But mostly they follow the rules. We gave them our old laptop this year to share- it stays in the family room and they are blocked from many sites, and we closely monitor their use. Every family is different of course.

alphamommy

09-20-2009, 08:19 PM

Thanks for all the responses and opinions!

Like I said in my original post, this TV would not be for general TV watching, just for movies. All our movies are kept in one place, and that would continue to be the case. We have a TV in her playroom that has a PS-2 hooked to it, so she could watch movies in there if she wanted to.

Also, the intent would be that she is not allowed to watch movies in her room whenever she wants, only when we're something she doesn't like (mainly football). With few exceptions, we all have the same basic programming tastes.

DH and I are pretty convinced that we're not ready for this to happen. I trust her, but I don't think she needs her own TV. DS and DBIL are always trying to top their last gift to her, and I think that's where this desire is coming from on their part.

Thanks again!

betteratmk

09-20-2009, 08:36 PM

I'm struck by all the people who say their kids have TVs in the bedrooms, but hardly ever watch it. If your kid honestly doesn't care if it's there, then why have it?

In my post I did explain!!! The one thing that will not be in his room is the computer. :D

tinksmom02

09-20-2009, 10:33 PM

I didn't have a TV in my room until I was old enough to have a job (14) and could purchase one on my own--and even then I didn't have cable.

Our house is similar to many others--the big TV and Wii are in the living room, as are DH's and my laptops. We have a TV in our bedroom and there's one in the family room downstairs that no one ever uses (the room OR the TV). We have 2 desktops in the office but Jenna is more apt to want to play on Dad's laptop while I'm working on schoolwork at the kitchen table. I see no real reason for her to have a TV in her room, especially because she's an only child and nine times out of ten we'll just watch what she wants to watch anyway.

Having said all of that, I know she is in the minority among her friends. Most of them have at least TVs and DVD players in their rooms, if not cable. And when I taught pre-school, I had kids who had TVs in their room from the age of 2 and up. One mom told me that her son was unable to fall asleep without the TV on. To me that just seems like a bad habit to start, and I'd prefer to avoid it for as long as possible.

Jenna will sometimes ask me for a TV, but I think more because she wants what her friends have and not because she really wants a TV. Either way, I still say no!

Ian

09-21-2009, 07:39 AM

Putting a TV in a child's room assumes that they are responsible enough to control their watching time and the content they're watching. What age does that happen? And if you choose to put a tv in their room before they are responsible enough, how are you going to control their watching time?Well since I already said that they very rarely watch any T.V., I won't commet on the "watching time" part of your question, but as to content? Simple.

#1, I or DW monitor it all the time. #2, "parental controls." I set what channels they can access on the cable box.

Goofy4TheWorld

09-21-2009, 01:24 PM

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but DD has had a T.V. with cable and a DVD player in her room since she was 3. For his birthday, DS3 will be getting one, as well.

You may be in the minority, but my DS is almost 2, and a TV will is not too far away for him.

Technology is what it is these days. I don't try and fight it.

I could not agree more with this statement. It's like with cursive handwriting, technology has changed some things forever. The need for parental guidance on moderation, whether for TV, desert, or time spent in your room reading alone, have not changed.

I will admit that despite my full knowledge about ways to monitor and record Internet usage, I will probably never allow computers in the bedroom.

Ian

09-21-2009, 01:35 PM

I will admit that despite my full knowledge about ways to monitor and record Internet usage, I will probably never allow computers in the bedroom.I dunno ... I mean DD is only 7, so that's not a huge concern for her yet (her only Internet time is spent on DisneyChannel.com!) but even later on I'm not sure I wouldn't be okay with her having a laptop in her room.

First off, it's my job as a parent to know what my kids are up to at all times and monitor/regulate it. That's why I don't care if my kids have a T.V. in their rooms, because it would never be abused anyway. I wouldn't let it happen.

Additionally, I feel like you raise your kids to make good choices and to know right from wrong. Then it's just "trust but verify." I firmly believe the more you demonize something, the more you drive your kids to it.

PirateLover

09-21-2009, 06:18 PM

First off, it's my job as a parent to know what my kids are up to at all times and monitor/regulate it. That's why I don't care if my kids have a T.V. in their rooms, because it would never be abused anyway. I wouldn't let it happen.

Just a little caution, and I think Sherri mentioned this earlier- but wait until the teen years. It's going to get much tougher, and you'll probably be disconnecting it at some point because your DD is watching Gossip Girl or whatever the hot show at that point is, instead of doing homework or going to bed. As I said I have no problem with TV in the room, but cable is another story. It becomes much harder to monitor as they get older.

Also I have to say, I will also never allow a computer in the room until maybe the later high school years. As a young, very technologically aware teacher, I have learned quickly that no matter how much you think you know about technology, kids are almost always a step ahead.

crazypoohbear

09-21-2009, 07:59 PM

I guess I did things backwards.
My kids had a tv with a vcr in their bedroom when they were little.
When they got around 10/11 years old I took the Tv out of the the bedroom because I didn't want them watching tv when they should be sleeping or doing homework.
I found when they were younger and I worked at night and DH went to bed early (he works construction and would be up at 4:00am)
We could set the timer on the tv and then they would go to bed and watch a movie, when the tv went off they were asleep.
As they got older it needed to be removed so they could have quiet time in their rooms and I was home at night then.
You just have to decide what works best for your family and your kids.
I feel if you have everything in the bedroom and then send them in for a time out, whats the punishment? :)

NotaGeek

09-21-2009, 11:36 PM

I was never allowed to have a TV in my room -- I still don't. I don't enjoy watching TV in bed and can't go to sleep with the rackety sound of TV -- my parents also didn't allow us to watch TV until we went to sleep or listen to music. Bedtime was bedtime.

My nephew is now 16, same rules. No TV, bedtime is sleep time, period. No doubt he cheats at times, but he still doesn't complain about no TV in his room -- and his laptop is a "family room only" item. No one denies him time to play online or watch tv, but it's widely knows that when he's 18 and has his own money to spend he can run his own life.

Oh the joys of a Military upbringing. :)

Georgesgirl1

09-22-2009, 08:44 AM

The rule for me when I was little and the rule for my kids will be, "when you move out." Most of my friends had TV's in their rooms, but I don't know that I ever cared about having one. Evening TV time was the only time we ever had to spend as a family during the school week with all of of our activities, so my parents didn't want us watching in our own rooms. Sure there were disagreements on what to watch, but we had to compromise ( a good thing for anyone to learn).

As for the, "everyone else has one" concern- I know 4 year olds with Nintendo DSs and 2nd graders with cellphones, but in our house we won't be following the masses on those things either. Just because someone else's parent has made that decision doesn't mean it is the right decision for my family.

Mickey'sGirl

09-22-2009, 08:57 AM

Just because someone else's parent has made that decision doesn't mean it is the right decision for my family.
I think that is key. You have to do what is right for your family, and it is really nobody else's business. :thumbsup:

Ian

09-22-2009, 09:56 AM

As I said I have no problem with TV in the room, but cable is another story. It becomes much harder to monitor as they get older.Not really. Comcast has the Parental Control function where I can dictate what channels they can access in their rooms. I could restrict them to nothing but The Disney Channel if I wanted to! :D

Also I have to say, I will also never allow a computer in the room until maybe the later high school years. As a young, very technologically aware teacher, I have learned quickly that no matter how much you think you know about technology, kids are almost always a step ahead.You're talking to a guy who's worked in technology for the last 15 years and a guy who builds websites for a living. There's nothing my kids will ever know about technology that Dad didn't know first! ;)

Disney Doll

09-23-2009, 02:31 PM

You're talking to a guy who's worked in technology for the last 15 years and a guy who builds websites for a living. There's nothing my kids will ever know about technology that Dad didn't know first! ;)

As someone who works in technology I expect you know how bold that statement is. Just wait. ;)

Ian

09-23-2009, 02:52 PM

As someone who works in technology I expect you know how bold that statement is. Just wait. ;)Okay ... I'll qualify it by saying, " ... while they're still kids and I care ... "

I can say that, because I'm certain I'll be working in tech until long after their grown and outta my house!

After that, you may have a point!

PirateLover

09-24-2009, 08:40 PM

Not really. Comcast has the Parental Control function where I can dictate what channels they can access in their rooms. I could restrict them to nothing but The Disney Channel if I wanted to! :D

Then why even pay for the extra cable if they can only watch one channel? Look, all I'm saying is, as someone who actually was a teenage girl, and who went to an all girls school, and who teaches teen girls... you might have a few battles ahead of you in regards to this cable situation. Maybe we should just bump this thread in 10 years and see how it's going :thumbsup:

buzznwoodysmom

09-24-2009, 08:56 PM

Then why even pay for the extra cable if they can only watch one channel? Look, all I'm saying is, as someone who actually was a teenage girl, and who went to an all girls school, and who teaches teen girls... you might have a few battles ahead of you in regards to this cable situation. Maybe we should just bump this thread in 10 years and see how it's going :thumbsup:

Not sure if its the same everywhere, but we don't have to pay extra for the cable channels my kids get in their rooms. Now if they had a cable box with all our channels in their room we'd have to pay for it, but to run a cable line with basic cable, which includes the Disney channel and other channels we allow them to watch, doesn't cost us anything extra. I have to agree with Ian. As a parent we controll what our kids can and can't watch, and we make it our priority to monitor it at all times. I am very confident that there is no way my kids can get around it, at the time. Now when they are older, maybe. But for now, they are 7 and 9, we have it under control. To me its almost like the pantry. We have a pantry full of food and snacks, but it doesn't mean we allow our kids to eat junk food all day or go in and out grabing what ever they want to eat. We monitor what they eat and only allow a certain number of snacks each day. We are the parents, we set rules and we fully expect our kids to follow those rules, which includes what they watch and when they watch the TV in their rooms. DH and my parenting style is to monitor what our kids do, be as involved with them as possible and allow certain things only in moderation. That being said, every child is different and every parent is different. Only you know your child and your situation and can make your decisions based on what fits/works best for your family.

Ian

09-25-2009, 08:31 AM

Jasper

09-25-2009, 08:43 AM

We made it very clear from the beginning that our children would never have a TV or computer in their room. I think that since we made this position clear from the beginning and because we led by example we didn't have any real problems with our two oldest children. However, things were not the same with our third child.

Just weeks before the birth of our third child, I had the first of my 9 back surgeries. As my health has continued to decline since then I have spent many hours laying in bed. Because of that we ended up putting a small TV in our bedroom. Unfortunately, seeing one in our bedroom made our youngest question why he couldn't have one in his room.

My point is that it is not only good enough to talk about how you want things done but you also need to lead by example and not have a TV in your room either.