A retrospective exploration into pre-school years!

Many of you may appreciate this fact about children. No. No. Maybe not appreciate. More like are resigned to this particular fact about our little ones. They love watching the same shows, episodes, and songs on repeat.  Sometimes for years. Their dedication is astounding. There will always be a few that erode your brain cells and decimate your patience.  I learnt something by my third child. Yes, I'm a slow learner.  We don't have to watch a show which really shreds every last nerve on repeat. We won't win every battle on this front, life is about compromise.  However. By the third child, I realised I could choose the programmes in advance and introduce them to my children.  It was a game changer. I also can sometimes convince them to give up channels which I particularly find annoying. It is only fair that there is a really good reason why they are not allowed it, and not just ban it.  There was one recent one which I really did not like. My seven year old...

Screen time for children is a sensitive subject, as some parents do not allow their children to watch tv/videos whilst they are young.  There are many valid reasons cited for this decision. These include the lack of exercise involved, and taking away from family time. Screens can be addictive and all consuming for the child. Screen time can take away from more traditional tactile toys. It can be seen a glorified babysitter. It can open the doors to inappropriate content, leading to over stimulation, and distraction from learning.  I'll be perfectly honest, I strongly believed all of this when Sophia was born, and I was determined that she would not be introduced to this world when she was a baby.  I wanted her to traditionally play and love books. My experience of children's TV did not impress me. I certainly did not want her to watch TV just for the sake of watching.  When she was 18 months however, I stumbled across Mother Goose Club on YouTube accidently, which le...