?? about TV's

Do you agree with children having TV's in their room, and if so, at what age???

My personal opinion is that if children have TV's in their room, it takes away from precious family time. This is not to say that my son will NEVER have a TV in his room, but it'll be at least another few years (he's 5 now)

I'm thinking of this because my sister just re-did my nieces room (she's 3) and put a TV/VCR in her room. My 7 year old niece has a TV/DVD player in her room.

Just curious to see if I'm over reacting???

Re: ?? about TV's

This is so funny you post this because I am soooo against this.

My son will never have a TV in his room. Maybe when he's 18. I didn't have a TV in my room until I was 16.

I just feel there is no need for it. We have a livingroom with a TV and a family room with a TV. If they want to watch TV they can do it there. Also, I am a big believer that the bedroom is for sleeping. My son is hardly in his room except to go to sleep. He occassionally plays in his room, but most of the time he is downstairs playing around the house or playing in the basement which has been converted into a playroom (that also has a TV). In my experience with friends and neighbors, it seems children with TV's in their rooms tend to watch TV in order to fall asleep. This can be a very bad habit and difficult to break. I have a neighbor that has a 4 year old daughter and we see the TV on in her room sometimes at 11:00PM at night

Just my opinion

Christine

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Christine that is exactly what my niece does! The only way she'll sleep in her room is if she can watch a video/DVD before she goes to sleep, and she's not getting into bed until AT LEAST 8:30, so not getting to sleep until 10! She is tierd EVERY day!

It seems like so many kids now have TV's in their room. A friend of mine has 3 kids, 8,7, and 4 and they all have TV's, DVD players, and computers in each of their rooms!!!

I'm glad I'm not alone. I'd love to hear from more moms or moms-to-be!!

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Yep! That's my nephew! He is so used to falling asleep in front of the tv that it has become a crutch. He slept over our house one night this summer (it will be the last time!!) and he wanted to watch TV. I told him no, that when it's bedtime in our house that means lights off and go to sleep. Period. He carried on until he was in a fit of hysteria, and had everyone in my house up. I finally gave in and had to put him on the floor in front of the TV in my room. He kept DH and I up until past 11:00

If this becomes a crutch for children what happens when they have sleep overs???

Chris

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So funny, when my niece sleeps here, I usually set up sleeping bags in the den, and give them snacks and they can watch TV, UNTIL I say it's bedtime. The last 2 times she slept over (or attempted to!) when I turned off the TV, she called my sister and told her to come pick her up which my sister did!

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I agree.. I have two nieces.. (whom I just posted pics of ) My sister has a TV/VCR in my oldest nieces room... The little one goes into her sisters room all the time to watch her videos... i think its ridiculous.

There is no reason to have a TV in a childs room. Nor an entertainment 'box'.. (ie playstation, xbox, gamecube, etc)... But thats a whole nother post!

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I am a HUGE fan of no TV in a child's bedroom. I feel that their viewing should be monitored and guided until they are older (I got my TV in my room at 16, and I think that's a fair age, depending on the child).

A friend of mine has a TV mounted on the wall of her daughter's bedroom (she is 9) where she can't reach it, and the remote is no where to be found. Every night at bedtime, my friend puts the TV on Nickelodeon and sets the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, her daughter has to go to sleep, no ifs, ands or buts. If her daughter fusses, she loses TV privleges for the next night.
I think this would be the ONLY way I'd allow a TV to be used in my child's room, but only for a child who's a bit older, and even then I'd have to REALLY think about it.

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We NEVER had them in our rooms. Hell, we didnt' even have cable or a remote until I came home from college!

In retrospect? Any time we watched TV, it was some type of 'family or sibling time'. We never 'came across' anything that was not for kids - (except when my mom let us watch terrifying black and white horror movies with her and I am STILL haunted by Karen Black, Bette Davis and posessed houses....), and most importantly...I spent tons of time making up games with my sisters. Playing real estate, library, building pulley systems to transport oreos to the treehouse, and so on.

I completely will not allow TV's and / or video games. No WAY.

When we had the blackout, my husband and I ate outside by candlelight, and as we were sitting there I said - 'what's different about it out here. It's so weird, we eat out here all the time' We sat in silence for a minute and I answered my own question. 'There are kids outside playing. I didn't even know there were kids in this neighborhood'. Sad really.

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I agree with everyone here, NO t.v. in the bedroom...I also feel the same way about computers....they should be in a neutral location in the house, I don't want one in my kid's room.

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For me I am so against TV's in the bedrooms. I don't even want one in the master bedroom, but my DH does . Fine - as long as he doesn't watch it when I am there!

Also, for kids, I want to know what they are watching. I want to be able to talk to them about what they are watching. With all that is on TV these days - I feel the parent has to be there to watch.

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I didn't have a TV in my bedroom until I was 32! (But then again, cartoons were only on Saturday mornings! LOL remember those days?)
It helped us to use our imaginations as children, making up games and keeping ourselves busy. We actually played with the toys we had. Most of all, socializing with other children and getting tons of exercise playing outside until it was so cold we had no choice but to retreat indoors and pray for either snow or Spring to come!

So no, I don't think that I will be rushing to put a TV in my child's room, although Jennrenee's friends idea is a nice compromise as long as it works out that way.

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I think a TV in a teenager's room is fine, but for a young child it is not at all necessary. For one, children should not only be alone in their rooms watching TV. I think that very young child probably just watch whatever Mommy/Daddy turns on, but I also think that means they are watching A LOT of TV. Why? TV time should be limited in young child. Get out crayons, puzzles, blocks, legos etc..and sit on the floor and play with your child. Read books, make drawings, play Candy Land.

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I have never believed in using the TV for any sort of 'child sitting' which is what I think many parents who install TV's in each childs room do. We dont even a TV in our bedroom now! TV needs to monitored and limited IMO.

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I am 100% against not only TV's but computers in a child's room. The world is too scary and crazy to have a child surfing unsupervised.

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My husband and I are completely against TV in the room. I didn't have a TV in my room until I went to college, and I didn't miss it.