tv time

I wish I had some devotional dvds for my kids to watch. I hate to admit that I do use the tv as a babysitter at time, but with three kids under 5, if I want to get anything done they have to be occupied by something. Don't even suggest paper and crayons, lol, they have already redecorated my living room walls with their um..art.
We watch PBS Sprout, they have safe shows for the most part, Sesame Street, Bob the Builder and a show I even like called Zooboomafoo, all about animals. My kids like Caillou and that is the show I am going to tell you about.
Caillou is about a 4yr old boy, he lives with his mom and dad and his baby sister Rosie, his grandparents are active in his life, he has multicultural friends, is helpful to elderly neighbors and although I find him irritating, my kids love him.
One day we were watching and Caillou's grandfather decided to take him fishing. My first instinct was to shut the tv off or change the channel, but my husband said, "Let's see where they are going with this" I agreed, but kept the remote in my hand. Caillou and his grampa went out on a small boat and his grandfather started reeling in the fish. Caillou was disappointed that he hadn't caught anything, but then lo and behold he hooked a small one. My kids were horrified. My 3yr old son Rama asked, "Why are they hurting the fish?" Even at his age he understood that a hook in the face cant be comfortable. My husband said, "Some people think that hurting fish is ok. We dont hurt fish" After they caught enough fish, they went home with their catch..and you know what happened next..Gramma starting cooking the poor fish. When Caillou sat down and started eating the fish, little Rama said , "Daddy!! They are EATING THE FISHIES BODY, ...yuck, that's gross!!!" My husband said, "Yes, Rama, some people think it's ok to eat other creature's bodies.They call it meat. We do not eat bodies. That is very gross" Harsh lesson for a three year old? I am not sure...he needs to know we dont eat meat, he needs to know WHY we dont eat meat. I am all for protecting my kids from the ugliness of life, but he has to learn sometime.
This made some kind of impression on Rama. He wasn't scared like I thought he would be. He actually turned into quite a little vegetarian activist!. Soon after we went to Walmart and he engaged a lady in line behind us in conversation. he told her we were going home to "make dinners" She asked him what we were having. He said, " potatoes and carrots" (his faves) She said,"What else? Are you going to have some chicken with that?" He said, "No, I don't eat bodies" The look on her face was priceless. I explained we were vegetarian and she asked the classic"Is that healthy for kids?" I asked her, "Does he look like he is malnourished?" She said, "NO" and I said, "OK, would you believe me if I told you he was premature and weighed 4 pounds at birth?" She was amazed, "I guess it is a healthy diet. That kind of gave me a new perspective hearing a little kid call meat a body, that is really gross, isn't it?" She put her rotisserie chicken back on the hot table next to us, "I think I will just go home and have a salad" Well done, Rama!
One show I want everyone with kids to check out is WonderPets. It's about 3 little animals that save other animals from all kinds of perils. They had a really awesome show where they went to India to save a Bengal Tiger. It was soooo cute, had a great lesson about how all life is important no matter how small, and they did some yoga!!