Watching TV = Quality Time ??

Sunday was just one of those days.

It started out great and all, but by mid afternoon when the husband was taking a nap and the kids were grouchy from getting to bed too late the night before, things had taken a downhill turn.

Jeremy had plans to be gone all evening and I was home with the kiddos.

Do you ever have those days when you are just fairly sick of your kids?  Your patience is just wearing quite thin?  You feel the beginnings of a small nervous breakdown?

Like, what you really want is an empty house and a bubble bath and a glass of wine.  Not three kids who are bouncing off the walls and bugging each other and asking if they "couldn't just have another snack."

You can try to change your attitude.  You can pray.  You can give a shot at playing games with them or reading to them, both of which may not end well.

(Picture this:  poor sports when they didn't win the game and Mom eventually saying "I'm not playing with you guys if you can't act decent" and fighting over who gets to hold the book, etc.)

Or, you can say...to heck with it...and turn on the TV and make some popcorn.

And all will be well.   Sanity will reign.

I have long felt like TV is a poor substitute for, well, pretty much anything.

Whether we are talking adults or children, TV watching is not high on my list of things that people should be spending their time doing.

Not to say I haven't used the TV as a babysitter at times throughout the years. Especially when my kids were little and I had bookwork I needed to get done! But I have always felt guilty about it. 

I know it is not completely consistant because I would rather be working on something and the children playing something (separately) than having all of us sitting down and watching TV together.

To me...TV watching together does not equal quality time.  I know lots of people who do look at it that way. The whole family sitting down.  Spending time together. 

But in my mind, there is virtually no interacting happening.  Really, you're spending quality time with the TV and people happen to be sitting beside you. 

Even with Jeremy and I...we watch a show together because we want to see it...not because it brings some sort of connection to us.

Somehow, I feel like a wimp when I take the easy route of "Hey, you guys wanna watch TV with me" instead of doing something more interactive with the kids.

But maybe, instead of being a wimp, I'm just stupid. 

Either way, Sunday night was one of those times that I felt the occassion called for it.

So I made a huge batch of popcorn and we sat around watching "Penguins of Madagascar" and shoving handfuls of popcorn into our mouths.

Like I told Jeremy later, "I figured that option would be the best for the kids and for me." 

Sometimes, being a Mom is about knowing when you've had enough and making choices accordingly.

And I like to think that's OK.

Pin It Now!