Before we leave our children behind with a babysitter, most of us resort to a plethora of methods to do a background check on that person.  we want to know if that particular person is violent, uses courses and/or racist remarks or dresses too provocatively, however, when it comes to allowing our children to pacify themselves in front of the television set most of us don't think about it twice.

when watching television our children are exposed to a lot of things that we try to protect them from, even in the so-called children networks.  the themes involving sex, civil disobedience, rudeness, socially inappropriate situations, eating disorders, bad parenting, domestic violence, school truancy, hatred and disobedience.  Don't believe me? just watch such programs as Hannah Montana, jack and cody, the wizzards of waverly place or Jonas. Even cartoons have those innuendos working full time in their programs.

Besides the exposure to those undesired themes, our children are also targeted by the big industries trying to make loyal customers out of our unsuspecting, innocent children.  a study conducted by the AJP even found commercials to be the culprit behind childhood obesity as well as ADHD, which is another thing to consider when allowing your child to watch TV on a regular basis because it robs them of the opportunity to be active learners of the world around them.

So, parents, next time you allow your child to watch TV, ask yourselves if its at all worth having to deal with all this for five minutes of quiet time.          

So Mr. Winter is here with all its gifts.  the wonder of the snow has long worn off and has become yet another chore to add to our long list of tedious things to do.  To add to our frustration and limitations imposed by the weather, the children start climbing walls when kept indoors with nothing to do for too long!  what are we to do with them?

For starters, we must take in consideration our child's capacities and abilities.  we can't expect that an active boy will be at its best behavior in an art Museum or that a dainty girl should be comfortable taking a trip to the rock climbing center and if you so happen to have both cases in your hands, then you MUST make certain to find a place where there is a little bit of everything which will accomodate your whole family.   Another point to consider is the economy and the funds you have made available for entertainment and family outings.  those two factors put together will determine where to go with your family when being outdoors is not an option.

The economy has taken a toll in families and their entertainment budget.  It has become cost-prohibitive to go with the family to some places due to the rising cost of entrance fees, parking fees and food and beverage costs, but being that we live in New York City we have a lot of free or reduced fee events throughout the year.  The Brooklyn Museum puts on a great party the first saturday of every month, it is FREE and at a great location close to buses, trains and major highways.  There is art for your inquisitive child and dancing with a band or DJ for your active one.  There are plenty of party places that open to the public for playtime at a very low fee and they usually have a dinner option!  another activity that is quite popular in the winter is to go to a Baby loves Disco event, www.babylovesdisco.com to dance the afternoon away.  Have a Metrocard? put it to use! map out a bus route that will take you thru major attractions without having to pay the tour bus fee, my favorites are the M7 in Manhattan (It takes you from the Upper West Side on Broadway thru times Sqare) and the M5 (which takes you thru 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park)

Need more ideas? want to share your experiences? Write back to me!