Kindergarten here we come

Is this the face that Ella's kindergarten teacher will know and love? Or will that be the mouth that never stops running? I fear she, like me, will have the report card statement "very good student, talks too much in class!" I guess there are worse things than having a million questions. And her questions are not, "why, mom? why why why?" they are more like "Mama, why does that tree have red leaves in the fall and the other trees leaves stay green?" QUESTIONS I AM INCAPABLE of answering. Yesterday she says to me, "Mama, umbrellas were invented in India." I have no idea whether she's right or not (but I'd bet on her rather than against her) but the fact that she knows India exists blows my mind. She also said to the lady cutting her hair, "Hey, did you hear about the .... what's it called mama (mama kept silent since I had NO clue where she was going with it), that big storm, oh Hurricane, in Mexico. It was flooding and the rain was coming down sideways!" Yes, she occassionally sees snipets of the news. The real world, she even heard something about 14 soldiers dying in Iraq the other day and said "Oh mama, that is so sad about those soldiers." Maybe I should shield her but I'd rather talk to her about real life. So she's not totally sheltered and ill-equipped to deal with the real world.

This brings me to a discussion about TV watching by kids on a listserv for Moms from the DC area. There were dozens of emails about how only 1/2 an hour a day should be allowed and on and on. I just flat out disagree. And finally had to post the following message:


I have a 5 year old just about ready to enter kindergarten and TV has always been a part of her life. Definitely more than the 30 minutes a day or whatever is recommended. We don't abuse it and when we tell her that's it and time to go...to bed, to do art, to school, she is extremely cooperative and happy to move on to another activity. We have always been very careful about WHAT she watches, not so much how much she watches. We get comments from our adult friends expressing amazement at her vocabulary and knowledge of even intricate concepts. I know we have played a large part in that by talking to her and doing our best to explain things to her, but I also know that she has learned an appreciation of many things and an understanding of even more from her shows (Baby Einstein, Sesame Street, Little Einstein, etc - think Noggin channel, though she does love Scooby Doo too). Another great resource for exposing your children at a young age to music is the Beethoven's Wig cd set. At first she just loved listening to the singing (they set classical pieces to lyrics that tell the story or history of the piece), now she can hear a classical composition and recognize it and even recall the name of the piece. "Mom this is Fur Elise" "Yes, Ella, it is!" Ultimately it is totally up to individual families to set limits. I also try to think back to when I was a kid and how much TV time we had. It was CONSTANT. And the quality of programming (Tom & Jerry, Flintstones, etc) was not nearly as good as it is today. Still, I made it into one of the most selective colleges in Virginia and have a successful fulfilling career. I guess I could be considered a bit of a slacker mom, but I try not to obsess too much about anything and just do the best job I can do with my children. As long as they are happy, healthy and engaged in what is going on around them, I am ok with that. Maybe I am in denial, but I am ok with that too!