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Recently in Salon Mothers Who Think

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Wake up to Furrow's wake-up call
When my son was young, we went to the JCC to learn Jewish songs, finger-paint and be part of a community -- one that included Jews, Catholics and agnostics too.
By Mona Gable
[08/14/99]

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Buford Furrow's worst nightmare
It's not just the Jews at the JCC who got to him -- it's the way they mix up the American melting pot.
By Joan Walsh
[08/14/99]

Sleeping with children
In the middle of the night, the smell, feel and touch of a small child soothes a restless mother.
By Dulcie Leimbach
[08/13/99]

Furrow's people
At a compound in Idaho, Nazis explain that they're not about hate -- they just love their own kind.
By Amy Benfer
[08/12/99]

"All the Wrong Men and One Perfect Boy"
Online confession queen Spike Gillespie dishes on bad boys and reveals her true love -- her son.
By Katie Allison Granju
[08/11/99]

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The AAP's policy refers to all television, of course, but it's hard not to feel like they're picking on PBS. "Teletubbies" is the only program currently shown on non-cable television marketed toward babies and toddlers. Just two weeks ago, the station announced a $40 million investment to develop six animated programs for preschoolers. The timing of the AAP's report is unfortunate.

Cable stations offer a wider variety of kid programming. Take for example Nick Jr., an offshoot of the popular Nickelodeon channel. On weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the programming is geared specifically toward the preschool set. "Our slogan for Nick Jr. is 'Play to Learn'," Nickelodeon's New York publicity manager, Karen Reynolds, told me. "A child is using cognitive skills in a fun setting. It's interactive. With something like "Blues Clues," kids are talking back to the TV. They are not just sitting there."

Still, the station has no beef with the new AAP policy on toddlers. "Nick Jr. programs to preschool children ages 2 to 5, but we are aware that children younger than 2 may be watching television," said Brown Johnson, senior vice president of Nick Jr. "We welcome a study of this kind because it encourages parents to spend more time bonding and playing with their children."

In addition to telling parents that young children shouldn't watch television at all and that older kids shouldn't have sets in their bedrooms, the AAP is recommending that pediatricians ask questions about media consumption at annual checkups. The difference between recommending less TV-watching and actually mandating that it be monitored by the medical community is where this could become a game of hardball with parents. What would this "media file" compiled by our doctors be used for? Maybe television placement in the home will become grounds for deciding child custody. ("I'm sorry, your honor, I'll move the set into the bathroom immediately.") Or maybe two decades from now Harvard will add TV abstention to their ideal candidate profile. ("'Teletubbies' viewers need not apply.") Better yet, Kaiser could just imprint "Poor White Trash" directly onto my family's medical ID cards. Not that those cards work at the moment. I'm a little behind on my bill.

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