TV Influence

I wish I could say that we are the type of people that don't watch TV, but we do. I think we watch more of it than we should. It is typically on most of the day for us, if we are home. The kids watch entirely too much Spongebob and seem to gather the worst words from it (idiot, loser, etc.). Chad thinks that he is bonding with Micah when they watch the Simpsons together. I often have to be the one to change the channel on that. Even if the particular episode is fine, the commercials they show in between seem to be nasty. TV can be a terrible influence. On the other hand, it has its benefits.
Aside from the educational shows and the way it has my kids glued to it giving me an opportunity to take a shower with peace of mind, it also gives me teaching moments. I never thought Micah would be interested, but he has been asking me to watch The Biggest Loser. When the contestants would go to weigh in, Micah was full of questions of why they were that way and how their bodies changed, etc. I was so glad that I got to fill him in on how to chose a healthy lifestyle. I told him how the people on TV chose to fill their bodies with food that wasn't good for them and it made their bodies big. I explained that we needed to fill our bodies with real food and then there is only a little room left for treats. After that discussion, Micah has been a much better eater. He has since tried tacos and enchiladas. Getting meat in my picky little boy is a big deal. Yay, a victory for mom!