This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 2:01 pm and is filed under Family Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
So I posted a contest when practically everyone I know was at Blogher. Then, after everyone got back, my server went down for 3 days and no one could enter, even if they wanted to. Perfectly executed, if I do say so myself. The good news is it’s still running and its easy to enter. Just drop a comment on this post by tomorrow, and you can win a $25.00 gift certificate to our baby store, RedSparks. You can also read the post if you like. It’s only the coolest thing I’ve ever done. No big whoop.
I’ve been, for the most part, solely responsible for handling my daughter’s morning routine since having our son. I can sort of remember what my wife’s face looks like, but it is admittedly fading as she spends most of her days trapped in our bedroom with a baby stuck to her chest. Sometimes I’ll slip a little note under the door or leave a plate of food outside on the floor, but the half-eaten scraps and crumbs on the plate the next morning serve as our only form interaction these days. One day, when he has grown out of his pattern of eating for 45 minutes every 30 minutes, she and I will reunite and hopefully pick up where we left off.
In the meantime, mornings with my daughter are mine. They usually consist of hanging out and watching cartoons, drinking milk, eating a snack, getting dressed, brushing hair, going pee-pee, brushing teeth, then heading to school. This particular morning was no different aside from the fact that I had decided to indulge in a fifth cup of coffee, and had been away from the TV room for a while. When I returned, my daughter was very excited and animated.
“Daddy! Daddy! You missed it! You missed it!” She belted at me, pointing at the TV.
“What’s that, sweetie?” I asked with a smile on my face, fully expecting her to tell me something about Crabby Patties or that she had figured out why Caillou wears that weird mandarin-collar shirt all the time.
“They’re called Bendaroos! I want them! I want them! Can I have them, Daddy? Pleeeeeease!?”
I was a bit taken aback. So far, at four-years-old, she had pretty much focused on the shows she was watching, and typically lost interest or wandered off during commercials. This one, it would seem, had caught her eye.
“Why do you need Bendaroos?” I pressed.
She stuck out her tiny little hand, and actually began ticking off the features and benefits on her fingers.
“There is no mess. No glue. And no stains,” she stated matter-of-factly. “And, you can use them over and over again!”
As I stared at her from the doorway, my mouth hanging open in disbelief, I arrived at a decision that my wife had been right about all along. She was watching too much TV. While I had been dealing with the new baby and my unrealistic desire for just a moment’s peace and quiet, especially in the mornings before work, they had taken my sweet little angel and corrupted her. They had turned her into a consumer. My mind instantly raced through all the other advertisements I had seen on her channels, which generally market to children and women, trying to imagine what else might be on her Chirstmas list this year. Did she want smooth, dry underarms that she wouldn’t be ashamed to flaunt while she danced the Pasodoble with a dashing Latino man in a bar? Did she want sugary, liquid fruit snacks dyed to every unnatural color of the spectrum and squished into EZ-Squeeze tubes? Did she think she was fat? Or, the worst, was I going to have to explain why a maxi-pad with wings might be better than a standard pad and how it would help her stay comfortable and confident where the other leading brands fall short?
Dear god help me.
I turned off the TV and decided it was time to get back to my roots. Back to the things I used to do with my parents when I was a kid. Simple stuff like sitting together and eating breakfast. Reading a book. Even playing outside a little bit in the sun. None of those things is really that difficult. It’s simply a case of the television serving as a crutch or a go-to activity for me. When I actually thought about it, I only had 13 channels on my childhood television, and around seven of them were apparently useless. I really didn’t watch that much and I am probably all the better for it.
So maybe she’ll get her Bendaroos because I’m a softie, but after that, the television goes off. She’s too young to be a demographic segment, and I’m not prepared to explain who Joe Camel is yet.
-Matt
July 30th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Ohhhhhhh GREAT. JUST FLIPPIN’ GREAT. Now you think I’m the WORLD’S WORST PARENT, don’t you?!?!? Shoot. I swear I just let them watch like one…or…er..um..a couple shows at the most. Just so I can unload the dishwasher. And sit on the couch and eat bons bons.:)
p.s. You and I could teach Caillou a thing or two…I’ll teach him how to speak without whining and you can give him a wardrobe makeover with RedSparks.
McMommy´s last blog ..The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Heard.
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July 30th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I think Caillou has a certain panache that is missing in the current pre-school set, myself. And I think his little round head is adorable. That said, we haven’t had television for about 7 years now. We watch movies, Netflix has a really great array of kid shows from PBS and Nickleodean so I don’t have to feel like I am making them miss out on ALL the finer things in life. Does this make me a better parent? Hells no (well, a little, okay?), it just makes me different. But I noticed a huge difference to the good in a lot of ways once we all pulled the plug, so to speak. So I wholeheartedly endorse the decision to turn it off.
And for what it is worth, the capper for ME was hearing Bob Dole talk about Erectile Dysfunction; I used to sit there and watch the other ads and complain about how stupid they all were and blah blah blah, but that guy talking about how he can’t get it up was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Kori´s last blog ..Protected:
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July 30th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Good post. The TV is such a ridiculously convenient, easy crutch for us as parents, isn’t it? I don’t get worried when I use it for purposes like showering or combing my hair, but I have to admit, I have turned it on at times just to end whatever whining or temper tantrum is going on, instead of dealing with it and that scares me a bit. Trying to not do that.
And, for the record, bendaroos really are cool and non-messy. I just got some for my son who can make a mess of anything, and so far so good.
Carrie´s last blog ..So, someone finally asked
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July 30th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Doesn’t Joe Camel look a lot like that first ‘art’ in the post below?
Aren’t you old enough to know cigarette ads on tv are illegal?
Does this mean Frankie is potty-trained?
If The Playpen didn’t come-up just now, I was going to email you.
Love reading your stuff, Matt. But I expect you to spend more time with your wife. Don’t cause me to worry now.
Barbara´s last blog ..Social Aspects of Eating and Feeding
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July 31st, 2009 at 5:35 am
Wow – those look like fun for both parent AND child. Maybe she was just looking for a fun toy for YOU?!
But seriously, buy them. Tell your wife you are testing to see if they would be good for accessories over at RedSparks!
RobMonroe´s last blog ..ROAD TRIP! Volume 1
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July 31st, 2009 at 9:39 am
There aren’t Joe Camel commercials on TV anymore dude. So I think she’s safe there.
I have this very same problem tho. My son jumping around singing Britney Spear’s Circus, I’m flipping out trying to come up with where he heard such rubbish and there it is, a damn Kids Bop CD commercial.
damn television
Miss´s last blog ..Clair de Lune
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