5 Reasons Why... Children's Programming is Ruining Me

Motherhood has introduced me to so many new things.

The realization that I can function on no sleep.

Endless laundry.

Toddler meals.

Potty training.

Unconditional love.

It has also reintroduced me to children's programming...

Oh boy.

Here are 5 reasons why children's programming is ruining me.

1. Classical songs have now gained words

I have always enjoyed classical music.

I find it calming and soothing and magical.

But thanks to Little Einstein's,

all classical music now have lyrics.

I'm not going to lie.

I actually really like Little Einstein's.

I love that they use classical music and classic artwork in the show.

My children love it too!

And it's on Netflix's so that makes it easy to watch it continually,

whenever they want,

which is great because we don't have a DVR.

Aniston has actually learned a lot about music from this show,

which is something that I absolutely love.

She loves that there is a little girl named Annie,

and we spend a fair amount of time playing Little Einstein's.

I just can't stand that I can't listen to classical music now,

without hearing the lyrics that Little Einstein's invented to go with the music!!!

And they have hit up just about every piece of classical music that I listen to,

except for one of my absolute favorites....

If you haven't seen this movie...

RUN,

and see it!

NOW!

So good!!!!!!

But because I now sing along with classical music....

Does that make me less cultured?

2. It's my go to save

Children's programming is completely different than when I was little.

We had the classic Barney,

Sesame Street,

Mr. Rogers,

Rugrats,

which my mom so loving referred to as the "ugly baby show",

and Reading Rainbow.

Now my kids watch Kate and Mim Mim,

Daniel Tiger,

Dora the Explorer,

Doc McStuffins,

and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Not that any of these shows are bad.

Kate and Mim Mim is pretty weird.

Then again 17 years ago we were introduced to the Teletubbies...

I love Daniel Tiger,

strictly because I loved Mr. Rogers.

Aniston has learned a fair amount of Spanish from Dora.

She is never afraid of the doctor because of Doc Mcstuffin's,

and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is so great because hello,

It's Mickey Mouse.tg

But because my children love these shows,

and I'm so busy all the time,

and the shows are readily available at my hands through Netflix and Amazon,

I am so quick to turn them on to distract the babies in order to clean the house or to get work done.

I feel like children's programming makes me a lazy mom sometimes.

I'm not really sure what else I would do to distract them.

Seriously,

how did my paren s survive without an iPad?

First world problems.

So horrible.

I would probably entertain my children with  something amazing like macaroni art,

play dough sculpting,

or something amazing off Pinterest.

Which a begs me to ask....

How did our parents live without Pinterest? 

Even better,

how did I plan my wedding reception without Pinterest?

I have so much more respect for my parents now that I am a parent!

But instead of getting all crafty and creative,

I turn on the TV.

And that makes them happy,

and I get work done.

But I feel like a failure sometimes...

3. Nursery rhymes have changed completely!

Everyone grows up with nursery rhymes. 

In my fairy tale land anyway.

We all know the tunes and the words.

But I have discovered that sometimes,

in order to avoid legal issues,

some of my children's favorite nursery rhymes change.

I'm not sure how my children stumble across these weird youtube channels,

but they do,

and they become obsessed,

so in turn,

I am stuck listening to them.

And they are weird!

And they are changing everything I thought I knew about nursery rhymes!

4. They are making me go broke!

Growing up,

I remember the Barney stuffed animal,

tickle me Elmo,

those kinds of toys sold to promote our love for our favorite TV characters.

Now there is every kind of toy for every single show!

Bath toys,

Pool toys,

dolls,

Little People,

Dress up clothes,

toothbrushes,

feuit snacks,

cereal,

the list really could go on and on.

Someone out there had a brilliant idea and turned it into money!

I won't lie....

I'm a little jealous.

Of course we need to have the princess dress up clothes,

but we also need the princess Little People,

Princess Pez Dispensers,

Princess bubbles,

Princess crayons...

Really?????

Do the princess crayons color any different than your big box of crayloa crayons that you already have?

It blows my mind how much money the children's programming industry is bringing in because they suck our kids in and we will do anything to make our kids happy.

Don't worry...

I have drawn a line.

I'm just not always the best at sticking to it...

5. I keep time differently

I measure time in accordance to my children's favorite shows.

Aniston will ask how long we will be at the doctor.

I will respond with, "2 Sheriff Callie's."

And she gets it.

She totally gets it.

When Ani asks me how long until work is done,

I respond with, "As soon as Doc and PJ Masks are over."

And she gets it.

I have tried to teach her about the clock and telling time,

but 3 is just a little too young for that,

so this works effectively for us for now.

I think we need more digital clocks.

She gets the digital clock thing.

The hands are just a little confusing.

Maybe I will make a toddler clock for her so she can understand.

I'm sure they have a good idea for that on Pinterest right?

I find myself using this time telling option a little more than I'd like to admit,

but it's all part of being a mom right?

You make changes and adapt.

And sometimes you forget your not with your children and use your kid tactics anyway.

Time is a really hard thing to convey to a toddler,

but they understand Disney Junior.

So combine the two and you're winning!

I'm sure that there are people who are shaking their head reading this.

I'm sure they're thinking I'm the worst parent ever because my kids watch a couple of hours of TV a day.

Shame on me.

But in reality,

I am a working mom,

and it is what it is.

They are both smart,

talented,

and beautiful kids.

And I'm okay that they watch 4 shows a day while I work.

It what works for us.

But I think it usually just becomes background noise for them.
The toy room is always clean every morning,
but after 15 minutes of me working,
it typically looks like this...

I think they prefer to play as opposed to sitting down and watch TV.
They're just like their momma.
They need background noise.

This is what works for our family,
and it might not be perfect,
but it works.

What works for you?