Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Dr. Spock is back

Yes, I am having to deal with my dad giving me parenting advice again. This time it was "what is wrong with Ryan watching 2 hrs of tv in a row?" Now, I fully accept that when I'm not there Ryan is probably watching cartoons. I appreciate that I can drop him off for a while and run errands, so I"m not gonna bitch about that--at least not really. And, normally, Ryan does not stand in front of the TV mesmerized. He runs around, plays with his car, etc. Usually when I leave him with my dad (usually not longer than an hour) they play outside and go for walks. It has gotten hotter in the last few days. It was 91 today and is supposed to be 100 tomorrow so they have been staying inside. In the beginning Ryan didn't ask for TV. He is content to play with his cars, but I think my dad thinks he NEEDS the tv. I'm not saying my dad has to turn the TV off, its his house--he just doesn't need to turn on Noggin or Disney. He is constantly asking Ryan "what do you want to watch" or "what's on next?" I know Tv makes things easier...I'm not saying I haven't thrown in a Baby Einstein dvd so I could unload the dishwasher, or just have 20 min of quiet. I am by no means perfect but there has to be a balance. I don't expect my dad to be teaching him algebra equations, just cut down on the TV.

And now, as soon as we go to Papa's house Ryan says "Papa wanna watch Diego"....and then its just constant TV. He still plays, but I've caught him with the blank TV stare a few times. Finally today I told my dad to change the channel. Ryan had been there for 2 hrs and Noggin had been on the whole time. My dad knows all about Wonder Pets now. Geez. I told him that Ryan gets to watch cartoons in the morning when I am trying to wake up and be halfway coherent, and then a short dvd before nap. That is more than enough. If he asks to watch a specific program then fine, turn it on, and then when its over turn it off. There is no need to continue watching more shows, especially Wonder Pets. I HATE WONDER PETS.

This little "discussion" came after my dad made a steretypical remark and I told him to watch what he said in front of Ryan because we weren't raising him LIKE THAT. And then two seconds later I make a comment that my dad can buy his own cheese because he was complaining my mom didn't buy any cheese and he says I'm sassy....well, yes, usually, but this time I really felt he was getting back at me for not backing down at the TV issue. Ug.

Some other things I don't understand and have seen lately: a lady smoking while walking his dog, a guy smoking while riding his bike = WTF?

Oh, and I finally saw MC Hammer at the gym last week and forgot to tell y'all. His hair bandana matched his shirt. Priceless.

3 comments:

Our Family of Four said...

Gee I don't know what to say... Part of me wonders if it's worth the hassel and that you should just let Ryan watch t.v. at your parents but the other part says sure Michelle then why don't you let your parents give the kids chocolate milk and donuts for breakfast. It's hard...

McCoyFamily said...

Yikes I don't know what to say I like TV a lot probably to much. I quess I'm a bad mom but Patrick speaks really well in full sentences and I give Word World all the credit, LOL...Stick to your guns and do what is best for you and Ryan!

Liz said...

omg brandi! last summer when we were on vaca. with my parents i had to literally tell my dad "i am the mom" and he was SO mad about that! it's sooo hard. good luck!

and where in the world is your camera phone when we need it? coordinating headwear?! that is AWESOME!