Dad Putting Kids Infront of TV

Updated on November 17, 2008
B.H. asks from Bismarck, ND
9 answers

I need advise! It seems like every time I turn around my husband is turning on the TV for our kids. I allow them to watch a limtited amount when I am home with them during the day. It is so frustrating because I feel like he doesn't think about what is best for them. How do I approach him when he already knows how I feel about the boobtube!!!!! Thanks for any advise!

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

T.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

I doubt Dad thinks of it the same way you do. He probably is just worn out from the day and doesn't think creatively about what he can do with the kids. My whole household can occasionally all wind up on the couch out of boredom, but if one person says, "let's go play catch" (or a multitude of other things) the rest of us are happy to oblige. Maybe they just need you to come up with ideas for a while until they have some favs.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

Partly I think fathers don't always know how to interact with a child. My hubby does the same thing and I am sure he is tired from work but us as moms are also tired from taking care of the household/kid(s) too.

SO talk with hubby, not in front of the kid(s), and explain that he should have one on one time with the kid(s) without the TV as the center of attention. Also setting up an amount of TV the kids can watch per day would be helpful so everyone is on the same page, just do not use up all that time during the day otherwise that would create another issue.

Morethenlikely you will have to suggest activities; if nice out play outside (ball, playground, chalk and so on), if stuck inside the house board games, hide n'seak, reading books. My hubby usually sticks to 30 mins (sometimes an hour), enough time for me to cook supper, and then turns to the TV. You may have to remind him but hopefully it will just become the norm after awhile.

Best of luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.N.

answers from Lincoln on

You said your husband knows how you feel about the TV. Does he know how you feel about him when he puts the kids in front of the TV?
It sounds like you need to talk to your husband again... when the TV is off... and make sure he gets it.
Does he sit with them to watch TV? Is this how he relaxes with them or spends time with them? If so, you may want to suggest other ways for him to spend time time with them instead of just telling him "don't do that". Reading is a better way to spend time with your kids. Going thru your family albums and talking about the good memories depicted is also pretty good. Playing ball. Making something...
Don't just make it so that he can't do that anymore... he's not another one of your children, he's your husband. The two of you need to agree on what to do about this.
Maybe you can stop allowing your kids to watch TV while they are with you and tell them that they will watch it later?
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.

answers from Minneapolis on

We got rid of our TV. I highly recommend it! It hard for a little while, but the benefits far outweigh the temporary discomfort. Within a week, the kids forgot about it, I started reading alot more, and we started listening to more music, dancing, and enjoying peace in our home.

And yes - my husband and I watch DVDs and sometimes Itunes TV on our computers!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

This would make me pretty upset... partially because of the overexposure to the TV, but also because kids really just want to interact with their dad! It sounds like you're home with them during the day so I assume he goes to work, and the evening is the only time they have with him.

Maybe approach him about finding activities that truly let the kids interact with him, not just sitting next to him in front of the TV... toss a ball, play board games, take a bath, do "exercise" (sit ups, push ups, my younger sister loved that). Truly, kids just want to be with us, their parents.

Also, it sounds like you and your hubby should come to agreement on how much TV is allowed total, per day, per week for the kids. Then you might find that you need to cut back on the TV during the day to allow for some evening/weekend TV time... but you'll have your hubby on your side to help enforce the agreed-upon rules.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.H.

answers from Cedar Rapids on

I dont want to feel like I am limiting my husbands TV time so we made a deal, for every 10 minutes the TV is on, its off for 20. So basically if he wants to come home and see the news, its goes off for an hour after that. That way he plans what he wants to watch while our son is still up. But he is really good at sitting on floor with my son when he gets home. Instead of telling him how you feel, ask why he does it or how you can help to not just plunk the kids down there. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

if you have already told him how you feel then i would hide the remotes before he comes home. i know with my hubby he will spend an hour looking for the remote intead of getting up and doing it by hand and miss the show he wanted to see.

now seriously... tell him (again) how hard you try to limit thier tv and how it makes you feel when he does that. and if he still doesn't listen tell him you will make a deal, you will lengthen the tv time only if he will do something with the kids first. play with them for a half hour they can have a half hour of tv. hopefully over time he will lengthen the time spent with the kids and less time putting them in front of the tv. don't expect it over night bad habits take time to break. join in with them, he might not know how to start the activies or realize how much they will enjoy doing it with him. once started you can sneak away and let him do it alone, hopefully he will become comfortable starting it on his own in time. good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from Sioux Falls on

my husband used to do this so I started game night, one night a week we played a board game. It got my hubby playing with our son and now he is more likely to start a game of cards himself or football or something. I think it was because he learned how to talk to our son, and relate to him on kid level.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

hide the remotes....

put a parental lock on the tv for your husband...

I have no great advice here, but that would tick me off too...it is much harder to train adults than it is to train a child...

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions

Related Searches