57 Channels and Nothing's On (HOL 30)

House of Laughter 30

Nancy, Isaac and I got high speed internet access last week and it took all of three days for our computer to become infected with spyware, viruses, and a really cool video of a chimpanzee who does karate. It took me a while to set everything up, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Daniel for helping me get rid of much of the malicious software.

I had my first minor clash with Isaac’s teachers today. I dropped the boy off at daycare this morning, and a representative from Time Warner was installing cable to a wall mounted TV in the infant room. (The infant room covers birth to walkers.) I asked one of the workers what the TV was for, and her reply was, “So we know about the weather on days like today.” I didn’t particularly care for that answer, but was running late for work.

When I got to work, I called and asked to speak to the director. “Norma” wasn’t available, but the woman who answered told me, that they have the TV because the children like to watch the “Baby Einstein” videos. My smart ass response was, “Well I’m sure they like watching the Simpsons as well, but that doesn’t mean….” She interrupted me, “No, we watch videos, we are in control, we are in control.”

I wanted to ask, “Then what the hell do you need cable for?!”, but didn’t. I was getting a little angry, and was getting nowhere with this woman.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that no child under the age of two should be watching TV. Other parents let their small children watch TV all the time, and that is their choice. I will admit, Isaac has seen quite a few episodes of the Simpsons while we play on the ground, but at this stage, I can’t see putting him down for the sole purpose of watching TV.

The core of my complaint is, I want to minimize the amount of TV Isaac is exposed to and if I am paying someone to care for and teach him, I don’t want them to put on a TV just because it will quiet him down.

I eventually spoke to the director, and she assured me that the videos are rarely used, are relevant to the curriculum, and that Isaac could do something else while they were playing. Norma runs a tight ship, and I was somewhat relieved.

In less ranting news, Isaac is on the verge of crawling. He just has to figure out how to get his legs to work. I’ll put his beloved duck just out of reach, and he will stretch and strain, but can’t quite figure out how to crawl.

He was particularly cute tonight. While Nancy and I watched Survivor and Amazing Race, Isaac studied his fascinating new toy, the remote control for the VCR. He also snuggled up next to Nancy completely oblivious to the fact that Mojo and the frat boys were totally rude to the hippies, and Cirie finally got up off her butt and made something happen…..

Excuse me, I have to go disconnect my cable.

Strength and Honor,

Big Matt