I took my daughter to her 18-month checkup at the health centre this week. I was yet again astounded by the wonderful suggestions made to me. This one was about TV viewing.
All was going well. It was just the usual check up on height, weight, development etc.
The Wiggles?
Towards the end of the appointment, the health nurse caught me off guard by asking if my daughter liked The Wiggles. She’d been misgendering my daughter, calling her ‘he’ instead of ‘she’ for most of the visit, so I was already a bit bewildered. “Yes,” I replied, confused, “but she doesn’t really watch much TV at this age.” The nurse then suggested, in her infinite wisdom, that I should watch these kinds of shows with my daughter so I could have some time to relax each day.
To this day, I’m still at a loss as to why she thought I needed her advice. I hadn’t said I was tired, rundown, or in need of a break. I’d even had a decent night’s sleep, so I don’t believe I looked particularly overwrought—no bags under my eyes, as far as I could tell. So why on earth would she suggest I have my daughter watch television every day?
It really makes me wonder where some of the health funding comes from. Especially as this was not the only recommendation for TV viewing that came up. I was also handed a sheet on language acquisition and play for 18 month olds. In it there were two quotes from mothers of 18 month olds about what children do at this age. The first one seemed reasonable – it was about her child enjoying the park. The second was about TV viewing. This is the quote:
I thought little kids shouldn’t really watch TV. But when I sat down with Josh, I could see how much he enjoyed the talking and the songs. So – we don’t watch much TV, but we watch it together.
Then in the section on play there are three suggestions. One is on pretend play, one is on playdough and painting. But the third is:
Watch television together
I just can’t believe that 18 month olds are actively being encouraged by health centres to be plonked in front of the television. There are a million and one suggestions of things to do with your child, yet watching TV was the main one in the pamphlet. And all this when there is this huge problem of obesity and sedentary lifestyles in today’s society. I just can’t wait until our 2 year old checkup when I can gain some more valuable advice.