OK, it’s not as bad as you think.
I let my girls watch a movie.
We were at a friend’s house yesterday for Father’s Day. Most of the day was spent with family: church, hanging out at the pool, and a very casual, kid-friendly dinner at my friend’s house. The kids were worn out from hours of playing, but the grown-ups weren’t quite ready to call it a night.
So we turned on a movie. And I don’t feel guilty at all.
It’s been close to a month since the TV has taken center stage in our home (and our life in some ways). Like many things, moderation is the key, right? The movie was entertaining for the kids and the grown-ups (I confess, we watched a good part of it with the kids). The funny thing was, my 3-year-old had little interest in the movie and instead chose to keep playing with toys in another part of the room for quite a bit of it (when she wasn’t curled up in my lap).
Am I planning to relax my rules about the TV at home? Not likely. The atmosphere in our home is different, and I like it that way. Will we watch an occasional show or movie as a family? Yes, at some point. I hesitate to plan on anything too “regular” at this point. I don’t want my family to start structuring plans around whether or not it’s “movie night” or something like that. I’m enjoying investing my time into people – real people with real stories and real friendship to offer. Both kids are old enough that we can go to the pool as a family. And we will probably hit the theater some time in the next couple of weeks to see our first movie as a whole family. That’s what I want my kids to remember. Time as a family.
I wanted to create some memories for my children this summer. And I think my husband and I are well on our way to doing that.
