Movie Buff

Jack,

We have discovered that you have something in common with both Daddy AND myself. You are a movie buff! You love movies just as much as both of us do and that is a LOT. Right now you tend to favor computer animation - like Shrek, Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and NEMO. Although you also love the DVD Series - Curious Buddies. The love for computer animation has also carried over to you becoming addicted to the TV series - The Backyardagins. (Of course, there is still Sesame Street, Barney, Todd's World, Bob the Builder and on and on)....

With all the crazy baby shows out there, I just thank my lucky stars that you never got attached too much to Boobah. God, I HATE THAT SHOW!

As you have become more and more enchanted with the television and the entertainment that it provides, I'm starting to worry about it more and more and second-guessing myself. I'll see you watching, eyes glued to the pulsating light beaming from the boob tube and I'll think - we should be reading books, or playing or talking.... I'll worry that you are watching too much television. How much is too much? Probably "too much" is how much you watch.

So, I'll turn off the television.

Here's the challenge. You are a smart little bugger. When I turn off the television, you turn it right back on. You can figure out how to turn on the television both with and without the remote. In addition to this, you know how to open the DVD player to put in a movie and you can turn on the VCR. You are a regular savant when it comes to video electronics. Lucky, lucky me... :)

This makes if very hard to enforce the "no TV" policy since you are so adept at getting it back on.

So, I've figured out that if I change the television input to Input 3, the screen shows blank when it's turned on and you can't figure out (YET) how to correct this, so this is how I can enforce the "No television" rule. Only problem is that THEN you turn to movies. You will try to work the DVD player.

In order to enforce this, I have figured out how to baracade access to the DVD player by jamming the coffee table between the sofa and the bookshelves thereby blocking all access to the electronic equipment.

Now, I'm finding our DVD's out of their packaging and jammed in between the VCR and our TIVO as you try hard to figure out how to turn your programs back on, darnit!

Like I said - you are a smart little bugger!

Love,

Mommy