My name is Jenn, and I'm a 27 year old married and babied chick. In addition to a husband, a seven year old daughter, and a five year old autistic son, I also have four cats, three hermit crabs, two frogs, a few fish, and one snorty little Pug. I work from home doing a variety of writing and even some web design. I love blogging, digital photography and web design.
A while back we put a small 13″ television in Alyssa’s bedroom. Why? Not because we want a boob tube addicted kid, but because I’d rather not hear Noggin and Sprout here in the living room. We didn’t invest in a 32″ LCD television just to see the Backyardigans and Thomas the Tank Engine in hi-def. Of course, we’re strict with TV time she has, and especially what she’s allowed to watch.
One of the rules is no TV at bedtime. Bedtime is bedtime, and that’s that. Well, for the past few nights Alyssa has been waiting until I’ve closed her door and gone off to do whatever, and then puts on the TV and watches it instead of going to sleep. She doesn’t realize that I can see the blue glow from beneath her door, even if I can’t hear the TV itself (she’s smart enough to turn the volume down really low). Tonight was the third night I had to go in there several times, turn it off and warn her, and the last time I went in I told her that if she turned it on again after I told her not to, I would take the TV away.
She actually told me that I CAN’T take her TV, it’s HERS! And when that didn’t work, she protested that the TV wouldn’t fit in the trash can. Pfft. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Mommy will MAKE it fit if she has to!
Geez, if I tried that with my parents (at any age), I would have gotten grounded. Was she watching video tapes or dvds or something or did she have cable in her room?
I think I was about 13 years old when I got “my” first TV. Actually I won it in a door prize contest of some sort. It was also a 13″, and survived many years (and many moves!) in my bedroom. I think I cried a little when it finally died.
That said… mommy has a screwdriver, right? My parents made it clear to me that when I went to bed, the TV was OFF… and they would happily relocate it outside my bedroom if I disagreed.