Jules and the Telly

For a long time, I have been conflicted about letting Julien watch telly.  The image of one girlfren snatching her child up where he had stood transfixed to the screen and turning him around, so that his back was facing the TV remains etched deeply in my memory.  I had thought then, that she was surely too paranoid, but now that I am a parent myself, my mind often returns to that image and the question whether TV is really so bad for children...

In the end, practicality wins out. When one needs to cook etc and have an active, inquisitive 14 month old who likes to investigate drawers and cupboards, TV is a godsend. And much as I had tried to ban watching TV during mealtimes, I have strangely come to find that J actually eats better when thus occupied.

So, our daily mealtime company now includes Spongebob Squarepants (his favourite cartoon) and sometimes, the Penguins of Madagascar, Scooby Doo and Garfield. And it is really sweet watching him because he gets all excited when I say "Spongebob Squarepants" and he points to the telly and the remotes and is all ready to climb into his highchair.  And once the theme music starts, he smiles and bobs up and down in his seat. He loves it when the episode has lots of music and when characters scream, he screams along... And as much as I used to wonder why such an ugly character like this yellow sponge can be even remotely popular, I am starting to enjoy the nautical nonsense and actually find the residents of Bikini Bottom enduring. I don't remember anything from my one-year-old days, but I sure hope J will remember these lunchtime cartoon dates with me!

A friend told me not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, that TV can be good for children too. After all, we control what they watch and how long they watch etc. And I totally agree. Yesterday, we watched a documentary on dinosaurs with J and it was such a nice family thing to do together. J was actually interested and engaged. He was very focused and spent much of his time shouting and pointing in excitement. And when the dinosaurs roared, he would sometimes follow and give a little roar too.  Seeing how much he was engaged, Daddy Low said that we should bring him to the Natural History Museum one day. I am not sure if he will make much sense of bones and fossils now, but the thought sent a thrill through me - it's always been my dream to share the wonders and secrets of museums with my little one when I have one of my own.  And somehow, the image I have always had in my mind was me and a little boy checking out an exhibit together... :)

Today, we shared a moment of history together. We watched the news today and they reported on (1) the firing of the Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the Gallileo satellites into space from French Guinna and (2) the death of Gaddafi and the new independence of Libya.  the firing of the rockets was a live event. We were 2 minutes away from the firing. And I remembered how I was sort of buzzing inside, thinking that J and I are going to witness this historic event together. it was the first time a Russian rocket was going to life off from European soil. And it was a first-time collaboration too - a Russian rocket carrying European satellites into space. How awesome is that?! We saw the lift-off. A lot of noise. A lot of smoke. And the rocket lifting, going up, up, up....  J watched everything intently. Of course, he is too young to understand now, but hopefully, one day when he is all grown up and reads this entry, he will appreciate this momentous moment we shared together. 


And Gaddafi's departure from Libya's political scene! For a nation whose population has never experienced a day of democracy in their life so far, what a significance their dictator's death makes. No more fear about what they say. No more living in fear and having to watch your back the whole time. And the very real possibility of their first free and democratic elections in 2 years... Wow! Will the Libyans make it? Or will Gaddafi's demise mean that there is no more check on tensions and differences among the people and in the Libyan Transitional Council and only lead to the ruin of the country? Jules, what exciting times! Have you any idea the meaning of all that has happened, my happy little munchkin! :)


So, thank you, telly! J may not understand all that now, but he was drinking it all in, thanks to your visuals and sounds. For now, you are to him the magic box where his fren Spongebob lives! :)