by Jac Emma John

Created on: July 11, 2009

TV has added so much colour into our lives that it is one of the must have for many households. It used to be a device which gave home viewers some sort of alternative entertainment but it had gradually expanded it web into bigger areas. Now, we do not turn on the TV only to watch a show or tune in to primetime news, many of us actually turn on the TV the minute we are home and turn it off only when we hit the bed. With more and more mothers joining the workforce, TV has been proudly promoted to another sacred level the babysitter.

Try visualizing a working mother after work hours: she picks up her kids from the childcare centre, rushes home and there are a mountain load of chores waiting for her to complete before she can call it a day. While she is getting the laundry into the washer, the toddler is screaming and the 6 years old is running around the house, in short a total chaos! The poor mother, she is exhausted from work and yet she can't stop. To make matter worse, she has not got herself cloned to have another pair of hands to help with the children. She shouts for the children to be quiet, gather them in front of the TV and in a magical moment, the children are quiet, their mouths open in awe of what's happening on TV, be it Barney singing or Transformer fighting away the bad guys. Finally, mother gets the peace she needs to get her chores done and dinner ready.

So, do you think it is wrong to use TV as a babysitting device? Personally, I feel sorry for mothers who are in similar shoes like the one I have just elaborated above. However, I think a TV is just a TV and cannot be used as a babysitter. What is the priority? To make the house squeaky clean or to tolerate a little mess but spend more time with your kids? With the inventions of Microwave, thermal cook pot, slow cooker, fridge etc, we can actually prepare a whole month's meal and pack them into portions, which means we only need to heat up the food before each meal and it will take less than 15 minutes! The good thing is that we can do this even while carrying our baby or toddler on our back.

Try to manage our time so that we can get things done in bulk but not daily. Engage your husband in babysitting and housework too. If you are a single mother, arrange for a day every 2 week or a month where your children can spend a day with the grandparents or your willing friends so you can get major jobs done at home, or take this special time to unwind. If finance permits, hire a part time helper weekly to ease your burden.

Your child will only be 2 or 3 yrs old once in his life, and if you miss this period, you are not going to get it back no matter how much you are willing to pay later on. Do not be trapped by the seemingly endless chores at home and leave the TV to be a babysitter. Of course I do not mean that you shouldn't leave your child in front of TV for even a minute because that is totally unrealistic. However, TV babysitter should not be a long term solution. In case you really must use TV as a babysitter, be sure to pick only good quality program suitable for your child.

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