When I was a little girl, I remember my parents monitoring what my sister and I watched on television very closely. There were a handful of programs that we were allowed to watch, and many that we quickly learned were off limits. There were no special parental controls or anything like that in the 80's, so we were either on the honor system, or my mom was close by, keeping an eye or ear out for what we were watching or listening to.

When we moved to North Carolina, I was ten years old. We were suddenly introduced to Cable TV in our own home, and it felt like we had just entered into some kind of magical kingdom. My sister and I had a grand time watching favorite new shows on cable networks that were primarily for children. It wasn't long, however, before my mother caught on to some of the shows we were watching, and banned us from viewing some shows that really were meant more for young adults than young children. At the time, I thought she was just being cruel, but now that I am a parent, myself, I truly understand the importance of paying attention to what your children are watching on TV.

I have a happy, curious two-year-old son, who loves television. Now, more than ever before, I am trying to limit how much time he spends in front of the television. To be honest, though, our set is pretty much glued to an educational channel 80% of the time, and if the television is on, either my husband or myself are with our son. Television can be a great tool, and open so many windows of discovery. I'm fairly convinced that Balian wouldn't know some of the words or phrases he loves so well, if it weren't for some of his favorite shows. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children under the age of two don't watch any television at all, and that children two and older watch no more than two hours of television a day. This is terrible to admit, but that's a hard habit for me to break, myself- as I grew up in an environment where the television was almost always on- sometimes just for background noise.

Now that Balian is truly a toddler, he is becoming more curious and observant by the day. He repeats, copies and imitates on a pretty regular basis. We love television, and we love to watch our shows, which are intended for an adult audience, but don't want Balian happening upon a show that is not appropriate for his age, after getting a hold of the remote control. 'Oh be careful little ears what you hear,' definitely comes to mind, here. Thankfully, cable providers now make it easier than ever for parents to monitor what their children are able to watch, with their parental controls, which can be used on your TV or cable box. Parents may choose to block out programs by their rating, in some areas- by their time slots, and can even choose to block out an entire channel. 

We can't be on top of our kids 24/7, and we hope that as parents, we instill good judgement in our little ones, but sometimes, curiosity is bound to win. That's why I feel very fortunate to live in the age of technology that we do today. It seems like a world away from what was available when I was a child. I can only be thankful for things like parental controls- a simple thing that we probably really take for granted, or don't even fully utilize. I may not need to go crazy with it now, but it won't be long before my sweet little toddler is an even more curious little boy, and then teenager, and when that time comes, I know that I'll have a fantastic tool at my disposal. As for now, we'll continue to enjoy his favorite shows together, as a family. It's family time, which I cherish- and hey, those programs for the kiddos teach me a thing or two every now and then!