TV Time-Out

We were slaves to the television. It was the first thing Violet asked when she woke up. "Mommy, can I watch something?" And unfortunately, that voice was waking us up before 6 a.m. Not. Cool. And woe be it if we were running short on time. Violet would refuse to leave the house before the entire episode of Backyardigans was over. And she noticed if I tried to slyly fast-forward while she wasn't looking.

And it wasn't just mornings when the tv held us captive. Part of Violet's established, set-in-stone bedtime routine involved bringing the iPad upstairs so she could watch Minnie Mouse youtube videos. Three, to be exact. Although she always asked for more. There were many a tear involved.

Unrelated picture to jazz things up.

Well, finally Matt got sick of it. (I was also sick of it, but much more likely to oblige in the name of my sanity.) My brave husband, however, had no qualms. Just like ditching the pacifier, he decided we needed to go cold turkey. No more videos at bedtime. No more tv in the mornings before school. Enough was enough. The tv doesn't decide when we leave the house for school, the grown-ups do! Yeah! Take that, tv!

So I spent a day prepping Violet. "No more tv before school," I reminded her at least a dozen times. She seemed okay with it. I figured she really had no clue. The morning would be painful. Because, let's face it, tv is awfully convenient. That episode of Backyardigans allows me to make coffee, eat breakfast, pack up for the day, all in relative peace. Now, it's also made for plenty of tears and late arrivals at work, but I've always considered it a compromise.

And as painful as I thought the change would be, surprisingly it was not. Every morning she checks the tv, and every morning there is a big "time out" sign right there, front and center. And she doesn't question it. (Ha! Sucka!) She plays in the morning before we leave. We're back to reading books (lots... and lots of books) at night before bed. I feel very triumphant.

Although that Violet can be a sneaky thing. Yesterday she asked if we could watch basketball together. I'm pretty sure she was just craving some screen time and was willing to watch pretty much anything, even a lame March Madness match-up. Tonight Matt and Violet are watching old episodes of Good Eats. Again, I'm pretty sure she asked for Alton just to get the tv out of time-out.

But overall, it's definitely an improvement.

Spring break is going to kill me.