A teachable moment

TV is everywhere, so we have to actively choose not to watch it. But my kids are very aware of the fact that most people choose to watch. We see them watching in the dentist's waiting room, in fast food restaurants, and many other places. Even in places with no TV, we see kids watching on their tablets. So I can't just pretend that TV doesn't exist. Instead, I look for teachable moments where I can reinforce our family's values.

We were walking through Fred Meyer recently, when my four-year-old son said "There's a TV on in there." He was looking at the Playland room, where they offer free childcare to shoppers. They have a pretend kitchen, some books, and other toys. But the little kids often just watch DVDs (including PG movies). So we stopped and had a short conversation about what he saw.

"There's a TV on in there," he announced. I replied "Yes, I see that." He looked up at me and said "We should tell them to turn it off." "No" I said. "Some people make different decisions, and that's OK." That's when I realized that this was a teachable moment. I asked him "What is that little girl doing?" He said "Watching TV." So I said "What is she not doing?" He quickly answered "Playing." I nodded, and then asked "What do you think about that?" He paused for a second before saying "Not good." We resumed walking, and I didn't say anything else about it. 

There are many reasons not to watch TV, and one of them is what economists call "opportunity cost". Every minute you spend doing something has a cost. The time you spend is time you no longer have for other things. It's a pretty simple concept. Even at four years old, my son is able to see that the girl was wasting precious time staring into a plastic screen. That's important, because I want him to realize that we're not avoiding TV just for the sake of not watching it. When we say "no" to TV, we're saying "yes" to other things. More important things. More enjoyable things. And you can't have both. You have to choose.