Damn and Hell are Not Okay

My husband and I have decided that regardless of what we like to think Jayda hears and does not hear, she is much more of a sponge then we ever gave her credit for. We realized that the hard way when she walked into the living room, slammed something on the couch and cried out, DAMMIT! Immediate finger pointing, at me, being the one to suffer from a little more of a language problem then Glenn (notice the word "suffer" I'm the victim here!). However, my moral code has restricted me from ever using any sort of foul language around children. I know, polish up that halo for me! After sorting through all the places, people and environments she is around, we summed up that it had to be from television. Even the most seemingly wholesome shows have some language, and when you hear the word dammit, a common expression, it's hard to even give notice.

So we passed a new law, any media shown in the house while the children are awake, has to be completely sensored and approved by the DHNO (damn and hell are not okay). This organization is a strict one and has gone as far as to stomp out some of Jayda's favorites, such as Hairspray and Vh1 Top Twenty Countdown. We are now limited to mostly cartoons, food network, home shopping, and from what it looks like, High School Musical (I'm cool with it, Glenn's not).

I'll be honest with you, I motioned to veto several times. I HATE cartoons and I really hate cheesy kid shows with creepy puppets and wide eyed, big screen rejects. BUT, I really hate hearing my two-year-old swear 100x's more. Ultimately, what I'm hoping for is for, is to see the TV turned off more all together, and to spend more time as a family. It's time to start engaging ourselves in more active, wholesome things, that don't require sitting in the same position for hours, drooling on ourselves. This experience has made us both very aware at how much we really rely on the TV. We've even gone as far as to debate whether we should sit at the table for dinner, or prop a towel under Jayda's plate on her lap, one the couch, so's to not interrupt the show that we're most likely not enjoying all that much anyway.

TV can serve so many purposes, it can curb boredom, offer information, help to unwind, provide good entertainment, and create background noise because you have ADD so badly that too much silence will make you start to twitch. But, I've really started to see that the television can start to become a replacement for many experiences that you could have had, but didn't take, because you didn't want to miss What Not to Wear (I really don't watch that show by the way, I don't have the metabolism for how mean they are!)

So in the long run, maybe having my daughter drop the D-bomb is what will essentially bring us closer as a family. And also, Jayda and I will be able to bond, as we turn to each other for support and inspiration to break that nasty cussing habit!