Arriving home from another blessedly media-free day at school the other day, Lily plopped on the couch and promptly asked, "Can I watch Hannah Montana?"
I don't know why I was so surprised, since Hannah is the biggest cultural phenomenom for toddlers to tweens since, well, since I don't know when. Her query caught me offguard though, since I never remembered exposing her to the show. Of course, when it comes to television, there's not much I remember.
I am completely lost when it comes to "Lost", couldn't name a single of the "Heroes" and don't know whether "Grey's Anatomy" is male or female. And don't even ask me to rattle off all the "CSI" cities. Although I do know there's A LOT of them.
When I was pregnant, I was well prepared for the idea that something would give when I had Lily. Most people suggested it would be, or should be, housework.
But the anal-retentive/obsessive-compulsive/Martha Stewart side of me really hasn't been able to grasp hold of the idea that I can let (laundry, toys, dust, dishes) stack up to 3-feet high and not bat an eye. So, instead, what I largely gave up was television. Oh sure, I still derive guilty pleasure from the occassional viewing of "Desperate Housewives," but even that isn't with Metamucil-like regularity
Since Lily was born, I've become acutely aware of how much Americans' daily lives revolve around pop culture, television in particular. There are entire segments of my morning radio show devoted to dissecting the previous night's episodes of the most popular shows. Scores of faces stare back at me from the magazine racks in airport terminals and other stores, but with increasing frequency, I don't recognize the faces.
It amazes me how much television has changed since I last watched more than a couple hours a week. The preponderance of reality shows is astounding. I for one, see no need to watch a reality show since living with a four-year old is quite real enough. Come to think of it, I can't see why Hollywood hasn't come up with the idea of filming a reality show at a daycare. There would be plenty of general fodder for a show, and they could even give it a catchy title like "The Real Children of the Houswives of Orange County."
But while adult oriented televion continues to devolve, IMHO , children's programming, has, by and large, evolved quite positively from my youth. Nothing quite beats the visual humor of Wil E. Coyote falling off the cliff yet again, but intellectually, emotionally and morally stimulating shows like Dora the Explorer and Dragon Tales really do take the cake from a mom's perspective.
I feel certain many television battles with my daughter await me in the future. "But Mom, Casey's dad let her watch Saw 4!" But in the meantime, I take heart in knowing her requests are a bit more innocent in nature.
"Yes, Lily, you can watch Hannah Montana." Now, if only Mommy can figure out how to work the remote.
I don't know why I was so surprised, since Hannah is the biggest cultural phenomenom for toddlers to tweens since, well, since I don't know when. Her query caught me offguard though, since I never remembered exposing her to the show. Of course, when it comes to television, there's not much I remember.
I am completely lost when it comes to "Lost", couldn't name a single of the "Heroes" and don't know whether "Grey's Anatomy" is male or female. And don't even ask me to rattle off all the "CSI" cities. Although I do know there's A LOT of them.
When I was pregnant, I was well prepared for the idea that something would give when I had Lily. Most people suggested it would be, or should be, housework.
But the anal-retentive/obsessive-compulsive/Martha Stewart side of me really hasn't been able to grasp hold of the idea that I can let (laundry, toys, dust, dishes) stack up to 3-feet high and not bat an eye. So, instead, what I largely gave up was television. Oh sure, I still derive guilty pleasure from the occassional viewing of "Desperate Housewives," but even that isn't with Metamucil-like regularity
Since Lily was born, I've become acutely aware of how much Americans' daily lives revolve around pop culture, television in particular. There are entire segments of my morning radio show devoted to dissecting the previous night's episodes of the most popular shows. Scores of faces stare back at me from the magazine racks in airport terminals and other stores, but with increasing frequency, I don't recognize the faces.
It amazes me how much television has changed since I last watched more than a couple hours a week. The preponderance of reality shows is astounding. I for one, see no need to watch a reality show since living with a four-year old is quite real enough. Come to think of it, I can't see why Hollywood hasn't come up with the idea of filming a reality show at a daycare. There would be plenty of general fodder for a show, and they could even give it a catchy title like "The Real Children of the Houswives of Orange County."
But while adult oriented televion continues to devolve, IMHO , children's programming, has, by and large, evolved quite positively from my youth. Nothing quite beats the visual humor of Wil E. Coyote falling off the cliff yet again, but intellectually, emotionally and morally stimulating shows like Dora the Explorer and Dragon Tales really do take the cake from a mom's perspective.
I feel certain many television battles with my daughter await me in the future. "But Mom, Casey's dad let her watch Saw 4!" But in the meantime, I take heart in knowing her requests are a bit more innocent in nature.
"Yes, Lily, you can watch Hannah Montana." Now, if only Mommy can figure out how to work the remote.
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