As a child I had very little exposure to TV, although I am of a generation that normally watches quite a bit.  As an adult, I still don’t watch much or take in much screen time aside from my computer, and I’ve always kept my kids to a minimum of screen time.

Other parents moaned over what to do with their kids during TV turn-off week, and I could smile like the Cheshire Cat because our family hardly noticed any difference.

Until…

Our daughter has been wondering about these Disney Princesses her friends were going on about, and I’m also facing a very busy month complete with conflicting deadlines, kids out of school, and a houseguest.  So, when I looked around ebay and found a lot of 25-35 kids movies for cheap, all of which we didn’t have, I picked it up.

And now the kids are watching movies.

A lot.

In all fairness, I have had a stomach bug, so some TV time could be seen as just survival.  But I can feel it becoming a habit for them.  Bright and early on a school holiday with gorgeous weather outside, they’re knocking on the bedroom door and asking if they can watch a show.

I managed to stave them off until afternoon, but then they put in a good two or three hours.

And, man, was it nice!

I could see this becoming a habit for me, too.

So what’ll I do about it?  Probably let the ‘new movies’ craze run its course, within reason.  If they watch all the new shows and still choose screen time over books, friends, the pool, etc., then we’ll have have to crack down.  I still value having kids that can entertain themselves, think independently, and live well-rounded lives.  But on the other hand, it’s great to have some fun and funny shows for those crunch times when Mom isn’t running at 100% or they just need some down time.