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Sara Pines
By TODAY show editor Sara Pines, a.k.a. Sandwich Mom
Walking in our neighborhood this morning, my daughter got excited when she saw a pumpkin display. "Can we get pumpkins, Mama?" Then she took a moment, "We need two -- a big one for you, a little one for me."
Doing a quick calculation, I told her I thought it was too early to buy pumpkins.. "They'll get mushy by Halloween."
Then, she says, "No, Mom, they'll decay. That's what happens when they get old, they decay."
"Yes,” I say, recovering quickly, “You are so right. Mushy is what I said, but what I meant was... decay."
So, I guess I have the PBS show "Sid the Science Kid" to thank for being one-upped by a 4-and-1/2-year-old. Maybe now I don't have to feel so guilty when I let her watch "just one more show" in the morning, because I can't move off the couch after getting home from work at 11 p.m. and not going to sleep until 1 a.m. And hearing her siren call: "Moooooooooooooooooooommmmmmeeeeeeeeeeee" at 7 a.m.
Or am I just rationalizing my laziness?
Such is the life of a single, working mom. Constantly amazed at the capacity of a little mind. Constantly questioning if I’m doing right by her -- or doing enough -- or pushing too much.
Then, a reality check and I realize... all she really cares about are the pumpkins.
And, by the way, we’re waiting until next week on those pumpkins. I don’t want those decaying things around my house!
More posts from Sandwich Mom:
Cutting it as a sandwich mom
'Are those happy tears, Mama?'
'Use your words'
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Leave a Comment:
I love this because I too sometimes wonder if I should let my daughter watch as much TV as she does. She likes Nick Jr., the "preschool on TV" channel as she calls it. She watches at least an hour of TV a day because part of her nighttime routine is watching Dora and then Diego. I will say I try to sit with her and watch because she gets really engaged by these shows but I admit that sometimes I use the time to clean up the dinner dishes or whatever else I think I can get done real quick. Sometimes I wonder if I'm using the shows to get stuff done but then I hear her counting in spanish and recognizing letters, shapes, numbers and all kinds of other things and I think, she really is learning something here! Plus, at least those 2 shows, get her up off the couch and moving at least once per episode with some type of activity. So if you are making excuses or rationalizing, so am I! I think too much TV, and don't ask me for a number on that, is not a good thing but if you're seeing some benefits then don't worry about it. We have enough to worry about as parents!
My daughter is only 1 year old and she watches Baby1st and Sprout channels. She is soo engaged that sometimes turning it on is all I can do to make her happy. It's great tho, she already waves hi and bye when they say it on the shows and claps and laughs when they do too. I am a stay at home mom and shes the only child, so for now... its her way of interacting with others and she does great :)