Love it or loathe it television is a fact of life for modern parents. I have spent many hours agonising over how much screen time to allow my sons. I am in awe of mothers who ban the dreaded television, allowing only limited bursts at the weekend, if that.
My only concern with such an approach is that it may have the side effect of turning TV into forbidden fruit that children end up craving all the more. Well that and the fact that without the telly I would get nothing done around the house.
You see I often think I should be paying CBeebies nanny rates as it has done such a sterling job of looking after my children while I cook tea, fold the washing, take an urgent call or simply switch off for a few minutes.
At first I thought the TV bug had not bitten the twins. At 18 months both their older brothers were addicted to the likes of Mr Tumble and Bob the Builder, but the twins were unmoved by Justin's antics. Perhaps I had finally bred two boys who were immune to the charms of the small screen?
In fact they were just slow learners, and thanks to a bumper pack of CBeebies DVDs delivered courtesy of 2Entertain they are now aficionados of In the Night Garden and Waybuloo. In fact just this morning I found Jonah sitting on the sofa, facing a blank screen, frantically pressing buttons on the remote in an attempt to bring the TV to life.
What have I unleashed?
Do you let your toddlers watch TV?
Have you read this shocking story on Parentdish?