Heading back from Wal-Mart, the 3-year-old says to the 7-year-old: “Let’s go do something ’cause my boyfriend’s home with my babies.”
After I screamed “What??!!” frightening the kids and nearly putting the van in a ditch, I realized they were only role-playing.
Some role-play.
One of the other conversations I picked up on in the same trip had the 3-year-old asking the 7-year-old, “We can do anything we want because we’re girls, right?” When the 7-year-old answered “Yes,” I knew I was in for it.
I’m sure they’re not learning this stuff from TV. Well, at least not now.
As parents, we thought they were getting a little too much stimulation from the boob-tube so we took them off of it cold turkey. This is the second week we’ve limited TV to maybe an hour on Friday. They get more on Sunday which has turned into hair day. It’s the one way to get them to sit for an hour and a half to get their hair unbraided, washed and then braided again.
We’re very surprised how much they’re not bugging us to turn it on. We are so lucky to have had them close enough together in age that they can entertain each other. We’re happy to see them turning on all sorts of music-making devices and staging their own plays and dance recitals.
One of their favorite things to do these days is to fire up their VTech DJ Jazz ‘n’ Jam and dance. They adore the “Old King Cole” song, which has a medieval flavor. They draw us in to dance with them like lords and ladies at the ball. They often perform for us on the fireplace.
The 3-year-old goes absolutely spastic when “Polly Put the Kettle On” plays; she runs back and forth in the den flailing her arms with crazed laughter. I’m not sure “Polly” would do it for me, but, I’m not 3 anymore.
The point is, without the TV we’re finding out we as parents may have to have lots of therapy in the years to come. But I think we’re getting even closer to our babies. A good place to be.