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Don't touch that dial: Test Pattern tunes into television, movie, music and pop culture links, as well as gossip and idle chat from around the Web.

Every week, msnbc.com entertainment producers Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, Denise Hazlick, Paige Newman, Kurt Schlosser and Anna Chan weigh in on topics ranging from TV commercials to movie hype to the latest celebrity blunder. We're not ashamed to admit our love for bad TV or reveal what's on our iPods, and invite you to join the conversation via your comments.



Did I see that movie? No, I have a kid

Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 6:25 AM by Kurt Schlosser
Filed Under: , , ,

A year and a half ago, as the birth of my first and only son was bearing down on me, I kept hearing from know-it-all friends how much my life was about to change. "You'll never do that again," they'd say about any of the number of random activities I considered entertaining.

Eighteen months into parenthood, I can't say that all of those know-it-alls were exactly right, but I must admit that what I find time for in the world of entertainment has been drastically altered.


Henry: Too early for Radiohead?

I certainly love my son, Henry, more than I miss every TV show, movie, live concert, YouTube video or magazine article that I've not been entertained by recently. I like to think he's taught me more about myself and about pure joy than say, Angelina Jolie ever could. (Did I just type that?) But I can't help but wish there was more time in the day -- after working, playing, feeding and bathing -- to make a dent in my DVR lineup. A new episode of "The Daily Show" is already half a news cycle behind current events, try watching five in one night, a week late.

The fact that I still run in a circle of friends mostly dominated by non-parents keeps driving home the point that when people aren't blabbing about the presidential race, many like to blab about entertainment. It took my wife and I weeks to finally get the stars to align so we weren't the absolute last people in North America to see the new Batman movie. Now, everyone is done talking about Heath Ledger. I'm the only Joker left.

It feels like the last live concert I saw was U2 on their Joshua Tree tour. I was already starting to scale back my intake of late nights and loud music before my wife's belly became a baby bump, but I do miss the ability to pick up the weekly paper and find a show and leave the house in a moment's notice. Watching Henry bang on his little plastic piano is touching and funny and all, but ... well, he's a lousy musician.

I could go on and make you all think I'm a horrible and ungrateful new dad (ever try to surf the Internet mindlessly for more than five minutes but the rattle toy thing you gave your kid was only a two-minute distraction?). In reality, I know watching my son grow and change is better than watching characters grow and change on TV. And I know that as he gets older and begins to understand that I have great taste, we'll bond over music and movies and everything else.

In the meantime, anybody want to babysit all week so I can find out what this "Mad Men" show is all about?

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Comments

well, you are not alone!

rachael, greenwich, nj (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 9:55 AM)

I can relate.  We are in the process of adopting an 8 year old boy and I can't watch my tv anymore unless I go hide out in my bedroom.  Most of the TV I watch
is not age appropriate so if he is in the room we just can't watch it.  My DVR is quickly filling up too.  Also, our days of concerts are also gone too!

TW,Chandler, AZ (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 9:59 AM)

We used to enjoy shows like The Shield, House, 24, and CSI:Whatever, but since we had our daughter three years ago we've been able to watch Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, some news, and baseball and football games.

I thought about buying a DVR, but when would I get time to watch it all?  After all the playtime and dinnertime and bathtime and bedtime business, I don't have the energy to stay up long enough to watch more than maybe one episode of something before I have to get some sleep.

Don't get me wrong.  I love my daughter and wouldn't give her up for the world, but like you, I wish I had a little more time for some grown-up entertainment.

JJG, St. Louis (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:10 AM)

Just wait, Kurt. Soon you will be watching TV with your child. It will be Sesame Street, Barney, etc. THEN all the adultness of your brain will go out the window!

Heather, San Gabriel, CA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:13 AM)

I hear you, brother. My wife and I also just managed to see "The Dark Knight" -- by going to a drive-in double feature with "Wall-E", where we knew that the second movie would not start until the kids were asleep or sleepy. Our TV viewing of shows like "Dexter" and "Mad Men" are relegated to the late night, on-demand ghetto -- while "SpongeBob SquarePants" is our constant companion during daytime. I do get to watch sports during prime-time, but I have to tape shows like "Supernatural" and "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" if I want to see them (again, after the kids are asleep). That said, we do have some family shows we watch -- Thursday is "Survivor" night, and we occasionally allow our son to stay up a little later to watch "Super Nanny" (although I'm convinced that he is taking notes on how to evade parental discipline tactics).

Kevin, Worcester, MA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:19 AM)

I would like to agree with EVERYTHING said so far, I love my 21 mnth old daughter but, thank goodness for DVR, that's the only way I do get to watch adult tv (even though it's at night after she goes to bed) however, I will say that having her on a bed schedule of 9pm helps with the shows that come on around 9:30 and 10pm so, we don't really miss those unless she's cranky and then I am the one that misses them and not hubby....

brina, GA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:26 AM)

I understand!  But get used to it.  There is very little in the form of family entertainment available nowadays.  I have first graders, they are too old for Dora and too young for the aggressively marketed movies like Spiderman (PG-13) (even though my son received 3 sets of Spidey pjs for Christmas last year from other family members) or Pirates of the Caribbean (also PG-13).  I found it difficult to buy my daughter inexpensive shoes last year because they all had cute tiny pink skulls and crossbones on them that I thought at first looked like little flowers because why would anyone sell a 5 year old skulls and crossbones.  Even the ubiquitous High School Musical and other Disney channel favorites are about high schoolers and are not age appropriate for the children or their parents.  Furthermore, it is simply unreasonable to pay a sitter so that you can keep up on the latest media.  Plan ahead and choose very carefully what you want to watch, put the tot to bed early and snuggle up with your wife.  Enjoy what you do see and don't worry about what you dont because after all, by the time you have seen it no one else will care.  

C. Amend Seattle, WA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:26 AM)

Ah yes... the Kids-TV-turns-your-brains-to-oatmeal syndrome.  Having a 3 year old, I am now able to not only sing along to every Dora and Blue's Clues song but also quote many of the shows.
I tried to watch Fringe last night; I think I got maybe 20 minutes into it when I was dragged down the hall by a sleepy child.  If it weren't for my husband taking over for bathtime and such on Wednesdays, I'd never get to watch Bones!

Heathyr B, Jacksonville, FL (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:28 AM)

This to will pass. And then you will wonder where the years went. My "baby" is now 26 with two of his own. What I would not give to go back to those years again. I love to watch Dora with my granddaughter and she her face light up with learning new things. Enjoy them while you can, watch what you can when you can. You will never have these years back and they grow up so fast.

Vickie Charlotte, nc (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:31 AM)

Maybe it's because my daughter's only 2, but we haven't had any problem catching up on our programs.  We watch TV after she goes to bed, and this actually allows us to have our choice of programming whenever we want.  We just don't get to watch it right on the night its on.

LiLa, Frankfort, IL (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:31 AM)

TIVO has saved me.  I tend to watch shows that can be seen at a later date without a problem (no one else at work watches Doctor Who or Torchwood or Top Gear).  I tend to stay up extra late on nights when a new "the Office" is on so when people talk about it at work, it doesn't spoil it for me, so I've got television covered.  Up until this year, the last movie I saw in the theater was Almost Famous!  This year, we dragged the whole crew (three children under 6) to see Wall-E, which I really enjoyed, but it was very expensive, so I don't think we'll do more than one movie a year with them.  I do miss movies.  

Toni, Southern California (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:40 AM)

I don't even pretend like I'll see The Dark Knight until it's on video. I'm still 3 Star Wars episodes behind.

tex (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:44 AM)

AMEN!  I love my kids more than anything, but I haven't gotten to watch a full episode of ANYTHING in 2 years.  Haven't been able to surf the net unless I stay up till midnight and that's only if my 2 year old has not hidden the wireless mouse in his toy box.  Next week will be my birthday, what do I want, hmmmm...alone time and the remote....

marialm in IA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:49 AM)

Kids are important. TV is not. Get used to it.

Zippy the PinHead (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:49 AM)

Sorry, but I can't say I really ever had the problems you're discussing.  I had my daughter 10 years ago, on my own. (bf took off - didn't want to be a dad) I played with her during the day, fed, changed, watched blue's clue's and Dora plenty of times, yet when it came to bedtime I just stuck to a routine. Bath, book, bed.  That's it - very few execptions.  

Maybe I was lucky in that my little girl never really gave me any problems in that area, I don't know... but I always had time from 7 p.m. and on to watch what I wanted without worrying about her being in the room.

I was 30 when I gave birth, had a full time job + overtime and a child.  Being a single parent was wonderful - in my eyes - no arguing over how to raise her... 10yrs later we're still in the same routine, just a later bed time. I don't work anymore, but I still get 8 p.m. and later to watch my shows.  It's MY time, and rarely does she interrupt me, save for a nightmare now and then.

Who knows, maybe I am just lucky. Either way, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

laurie, Fl (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:50 AM)

Yay! I'm not the only one! The only TV I get to watch these days, aside from the endless lineup of (admittedly excellent) preschool programming on Noggin, is the stuff already on DVD (thank you, Netflix). I'm constantly at least one season behind everybody else. This season's vow: to watch Dexter in real-time. This season's challenge: to get my 4-year-old and 9-month-old settled down in bed, hopefully sleeping, by 9 PM on Sundays. A pipe dream? Maybe. But we all need aspirations, don't we?

I love my babies more than life itself, but I do sometimes long to listen to my tunes without having a finger hovering over the "mute" button on my car stereo, ready to bleep out the bad words... ah, well! At least we can safely rock out to the Doodlebops on my iPod. On a loop. As their play counts rapidly eclipse those of all my grown-up songs. *runs screaming*

Venus Doom, NJ (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:53 AM)

Wait until he's a teen.  Or even a pre-teen.  Then he won't want to have anything to do with you and then you can watch all the TV you want!  ;-)  JK.  Well, there's a little truth to that.  Although my 15 yr old daughter and I watch many shows together...We have the same taste...imagine that!

okierunner, OK (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:40 AM)

Wow, zippy.  way to completely miss the point and add exactly nothing to the discussion.  Way to go.  

chuck, summerville, sc (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:43 AM)

My son is 14months, when he was younger I use to be able to catch up on shows during naptime on the days I was home. Now that he rarely naps, I have to fit in what I can on the nights his father has him. Otherwise I can usually catch the stuff I want to watch (Grey's, Desp Housewives, Mad Men, Earl, The Closer) after he goes to bed. I havent been to a movie since before he was born, i think. Netflix has become my best friend.

Des, Fall River, MA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:55 AM)

I have a twenty year old daughter and a ten year old son .. I can watch anything I want thanks to the affordability of multiple televeisions (and azureus/vuze) .. when my daughter and son were both young I was still able to watch what I want on TV.. I am totally against the notion that everyone loses their "adulthood" when children come in the picture ..I know that my time is from 8 pm on and thats that..I listen to the football/baseball games and all our music in the car.. No barney/doodlebops etc EVER ... Both my children are doing well in college/school and are emotionaly comfortable.. I still find it amusing to hear the parents whining about losing their time etc .. when JJG stated "We used to enjoy shows like The Shield, House, 24, and CSI" - I am amazed that you could not find time for both ... Raising children is very important, but if you leave NO time for yourself, then you will not be happy and also your children will not be happy ..Zippy totally missed the point AGAIN...

John McCormick Largo Fl (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:07 PM)

I'm a stay-at-home mom and now that my youngest is in preschool, I thought "Great-I can watch a show or two aging gracefully in the DVR while she is at school." NOPE. I would much rather be listening to Dora or Wonder Pets while doing housework. Time is precious-enjoy every minute while they are little!

Kim, Missoula, MT (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:08 PM)

How about you take responsibility for your decision to have a child.  If you didn't want to bring a new life into this world why did you. Stop and think about the time your folks spent with you.....doesn't your child deserve the same?  In the whole scheme of things 12 years is about all that you'll loose because after that they probably won't want to spend too much time with you any way.  If you are man enough to have a schedule and stick to it then you should have no problem having some evening time with your wife.  Who rules the house?  And finally ENJOY, nothing will bring you more joy than looking into the eyes of a child that you have raised and sooner or later, they will have kids of their own and then everyone will understand the rewards of the cycle of life.

Sheri Caballero madera, Calif (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:10 PM)

Yeah kids'll do that to you. But Okierunner's right...my stepdaughters are now 13 and 14 and by and large the thought of watching tv with their dad and I is just "SOOOO not cool."  So we have a little more time to watch what we want.
But yeah when I got married I had to pick through my movies and sort of kid-proof my collection.  Meet the Feebles, Rocky Horror, The Exorcist, and about 50% of my Anime are safely locked away until more appropriate times.  Which may be never.
But that's okay.  I feel like I've been a more responsible parent not only for being active in my kids' lives but because I wasn't one of those nuts that takes their three year old to an R rated movie and then complains about how the movie traumatized their child.  Sometimes you just gotta take a hit for the little guys. ;-)

Leslie, Albuquerque (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:12 PM)

I say stuff like this to my wife and friends and they look at me like I'm a monster. Yes, kids are important and great. AND those moments when they say something, do something new and discover something are wonderful BUT the rest of the time can be painful. Essentially you have to give up everything you were, everything you were interested in for a while (I hope it's temporary). I've got a 2 1/2 yr old and I stay home with her so I'm lucky and exhausted. I'd like to eat something uninterrupted. I'd like to go to the bathroom uninterrupted. I'd like to read a book again someday. I'd like to play the guitar again someday. I'm sure I'll wax nostalgic when she's grown and on her own. It's hard to live in the moment though.

John Doe, Seattle, Wash. (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:26 PM)

Monday - soccer practice
Tuesday - Gymnastics
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Watch Jr. High Football game
Friday - Watch High School football game
Saturday - soccer game
Sunday - Church

Best of Luck with the rest of your life, it's not yours anymore.

FT (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:29 PM)

When she was just a baby, we used to keep our daughter in the living room with us when we watched The Sopranos.  At 6 months, I began to worry about the subliminal effects.  After a rather fierce daydream where her kindergarten teacher asked her who her favorite TV character was, and she answered, "Tony Soprano," we stopped doing that.  Nowadays, she's 8, and we even pause the Daily Show if she walks into the room.  But I agree with many others - there are better things to watch than the 83rd rerun of Drake and Josh.  

Bruce Kent, Pittsburgh, PA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:33 PM)

Tivo & Netflix are my favorite inventions EVER. I spend my 3 'kid-free' nights clearing out my Tivo list. The rest of the week is all about Diego/Little Einsteins/Mickey Mouse & Mario Kart on the Wii.  Love my kids but a little adult escapism once in a while helps w/ the sanity.

kdb, bay area, CA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:37 PM)

Someday, when your children are grown, you will discover that what you missed (TV, concerts, etc.) wasn't all that important at all. It's the time you spend with your children that really matters. The rest is just so much chatter and noise. When they're gone, you'll have plenty of time for all these things - and wish with all your heart that they were still small and still with you.

TBL, Burlington, Vermont (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:40 PM)

Parenthood changed me in ways I never thought possible.  Give it a few years and you'll work back into your habbits...if you choose.

Jeremy, Wayne (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:48 PM)

I am raising a 2 year old grandson, whom we inherited just as we were really settling into having big, self-sufficient kids with whom we could watch anything. I now have Dora and Diego and Blue and Caillou and...
I am also fortunate enough to have a marvelous 16 year old son who adores his nephew and will stay home at least one evening a week in order that Grampa and I can do some big-person thing. My son and his girlfriend, in fact, are watching the little fellow for an entire weekend (they really are amazing, mature kids... both already in college) so that Grampa and I can go out of town for our 20th.
It really is important that you find someone you trust for a night a month, maybe, because we all need some time for recreation/relaxation.

Gramomster, Grand Rapids, MI (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:49 PM)

I'm a newly engaged, formly single, mother of two kids (current ages 7 & 5).  I can relate to most of the post & opinions, however I guess I can also consider myself lucky.  My fiance & I go out at least 3 times a month without the children.  Of course we have built in babysitters that are paid by putting a roof over their heads (yes, he has teens from a former marriage).  As for TV viewing, we solved this by putting a TV upstairs in a common room in which we V-Chipped to only have stations like Cartoon Network, Nick, etc available without a 4 digit code (which the teens have).  On another note, due to my single mom days, my children's bedtime during the week is rather strict.  While I still hear other kids out playing in our neighborhood, my kids are in bed at 7:30pm (after homework, dinner, bath).  I always needed my alone time aka mom time when I was single and I just stuck with it.  Now my fiance and I have that little time together every night before we go to bed.  The kids so get to stay up til 8:30 on Fridays & Saturdays...hey, kids need sleep in order to function.  I need sanity in order to function...it's a give & take.

Heather, Atlanta, GA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:55 PM)

I think Zippy is onto something.  Life isn't about entertainment.  My father told me "you will have the rest of your life to work."  I used to watch TV when I was single.  Now with 3 boys 1.5yrs, 4yrs & 6yrs we watch the news and occasionally a sporting event.  No cable and no satelite just antenae.  And I don't miss it there are more important things to do (even when I was single) than letting myself become a couch patato in front of the tube.  Besides since when is what you watch on TV an indication of your maturity?  It takes a true adult to realize that if it isn't good for your kids, it is most likely not good for you either.

Brian, Erie, PA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 1:07 PM)

Do what my mom did--when it was time for her shows, I had to go play.  I actually had to entertain myself with books and toys instead of sitting in front of the TV.

If you have a child under a year old, just watch what you want.  The child will have no idea what's going on anyway.

Sarah, IL (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 1:08 PM)

I couldn't believe this post. You need to grow up, find some new friends with kids and and realize that you should  be very grateful you have a healthy and (hopefully) happy child instead of complaining about missing TV. Of course you can't watch TV whenever you please now. What were you thinking? That a child is like a pet? And why should you be aimlessly googling while you're supposed to be playing with your children? There are so many more distractions these days to keep us from playing with our kids. Here's some advice: keep the TV off, turn off the computer and start enjoying the moment with your kids.

L. O'Malley (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 1:15 PM)

So true.  We use to burn thru our Netflix movies...now they sit for weeks on our tv stand... unwatched.

Marty, Saint Louis (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 1:20 PM)

With a 5 year old and an 18 month old, I can certainly feel your pain.  However, I have realized I would MUCH rather watch Spongebob with my son than watch any other "grown-up" show without him.  Truth be told, I frequently end up just watching him watching Spongebob... better than any show out there!  (although "Lost" is a close second)

Chris, NJ (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:01 PM)

As the bonus mom of a 7 year old, I totally hear you! Thank goodness for shows that let you watch the whole thing on the internet. I'm so sick of Hannah Montana, The Suite life of Zack & Cody and Wizards of Waverly place that I could scream. We all love our kids, no question. With babies it's alittle easier I think to sneak in your adult tv, but with an avid 7 year old, adult tv doesn't happen until she goes to bed. Period. (which is 8:30pm) I am a night owl though, so staying up until 11pm to watch tv is something I enjoy. And yes, I miss going to adult movies or just going out, like you said. But these years go by so fast.......enjoy them.

Kendra, Sacramento, CA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:07 PM)

why don't you guys watch learning shows with your kids? discovery channel, learning channel, history channel, and so on. at a young age, a child should ask as many questions and learn as much as possible. those stupid sesame street shows are ABCs and politically correct (in other words, false) ideals propaganda. funny how parents fall for that. cute!

scir91 from YouTube (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:07 PM)

Got an 18-month-old with one on the way, due in February.

We've forgotten what TV is like.  When we visit my mom and dad's house on Sundays, we laugh at the commercials and the shows we catch a glimpse of because it seems like such a waste of time to watch other people's fake lives when we have a full, real one of our own.

Don't get me wrong - we used to be cable junkies but now we don't even have access to the networks since we get no antenna reception.  At this point, since we're "weaned" off TV, there's not even a point to us obtaining the digital converter box - we're giving away our coupons.

But you know what?  After you realize everything you could be doing instead of watching TV, all the projects you never "had time for" before, all the hobbies you wanted to put your energy into, you DON'T MISS IT.  Instead of watching TV after Baby goes to bed, we read books, work on recording music, make stuffed animals, plan menus, do a dozen different things in the time it would take to watch a one-hour show.

Try it for 30 days.  I promise it will grow on you. Of course, maybe not for you, Kurt - you might not have a career if you tried that, right?

But for many people, you'll be away from TV for so long after a month, there will be no point in trying to find your way back.  It's like quitting any other mild addiction.  You'll find your interests broaden a lot more, you have time to do the things you *think* you can't (as well as that extra $75-100 a month saved from not throwing it into your TV), and the things your baby does become more interesting and feed your own introspection instead of being irritating because they're interrupting your viewing of "House".

Just my 2 cents.

Ex-Junkie, Ohio (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:15 PM)

Life can change dramatically during those first couple of years- then things tend to balance out.  It took us forever to figure out how to watch the shows that we love. DVR/Tivo can be your best friends!
And to those that feel the author is complaning/griping about having kids- I don't think it's that way at all.  I think it's more along the line of adjusting to a new phase of life. Loudly. :P

Cheryl Ann, Lynnwood, WA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:22 PM)

"It took my wife and I weeks to finally get the stars to align so we weren't the absolute last people in North America to see the new Batman movie"

Um, my husband & I haven't even seen the Batman movie before the latest Batman movie!

Laura, NC (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:23 PM)

I completely understand the feeling.  But when I'm sitting with my son and he's playing, and I'm tempted to watch the TV rather than him, I try to remind myself that someday I'd like for my memories to be of all the little things that he used to do, not what was on TV when he was that age.  I ask myself "What's more important right now--this show, or him?"  That usually brings my attention back to where it should be.  
Also, my son isn't yet a year, but I think we've already decided that we'll try to stick to TV that works for the whole family, like nature and science shows.  That way everyone is entertained!  (Perhaps avoiding Dora, etc., is wishful thinking, but we're going to give it a try!)

Gretch, PA (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:25 PM)

It's called bedtime and Tivo. Our 8 year old goes to bed by 8:30pm or 9:00pm. We watch what we want when he goes to bed from the Tivo. On the weekends, my husband and I watch movies from Netflix or OnDemand. Unless you're letting your kids sleep with you, this shouldn't be a problem. When we want to go out together (just the two of us) we tag team with other friends with kids who watch our little guy. When those friends want to go out, we watch their kids. Nothing is impossible if you really want to make time for something.

AP, IL (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:25 PM)

This is fascinating, because I'm a single mom with a 2 1/2 year old and I've yet to miss a show in my tv lineup.  And I watch a LOT of shows in the regular tv season.  I work from 8-4, play with my daughter from 4-7.  Then there's dinner and a bath in there somewhere.  She's off to bed at 7-730pm, and I watch tv while I straighten up the house, fold laundry, do dishes, pay bills, etc.  Piece of cake!

Everyone swore to me that once I had my daughter, I'd never get to watch tv or movies for the first few years at least.  What a crock!  I just don't get that!  None of my tv / movie watching habits have changed.  Sure, I don't see movies in the theatre much, but that's by choice.  I'd rather just wait for PPV.  And no, my daughter is by no means neglected.

Melanie, Memphis, TN (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:54 PM)

I raised 4 children alone for 18 years.  T.V. wasn't much of a concern because a lot of the time we didn't even have one. I did love Sesame Street though. When my kids were older and the X-Files were on however, they ALL knew that was MY t.v. time, and to knock off all their constant "junk".  We survived just fine.  Now though, my 6 year old grandson lives with me, and I can tell you STRAIGHT UP, I cannot STAND Spongebob!  I let him watch it, but I'm always doing (anything else!) to not have to listen to it.  At least they all read, even the grandson, so there IS always HOPE. ;)

G. Hall, Spokane, Wa. (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:55 PM)

You are not alone... We had already scaled back on our movie viewing when ticket prices got around $10, and now that we have a young child at home, we weigh our desire to see the movie to arranging a sitter and spending the money rather than waiting to get in on Netflix. There was a period of time where we were a full week behind our DVR-ed Tonight Show episodes, but we are thankfully caught up... It helps that our son has bedtime around 8:00, so we can watch movies on Netflix or DVR-ed TV shows then.

My advice to any soon-to-be parents, go out to eat at a nice restaurant, go to the movies, go to concerts. This is the last time you can just pick up and go without thinking about it beyond the cost...

Julie, Nashville, TN (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:55 PM)

I think the last time my husband and I were able to go to a movie or concert was over two years ago before our first child was born.  I don't know what we would do without our DVR, it's the only way we're able to stay "in the loop".  That and living vicariously through our childless friends.  But as much as I may like to complain at times and mourn my old life, I wouldn't trade quality time with my kids for anything in the world.

Jen, Vancouver, BC (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:12 PM)

Gosh, at first I though I was the only one who was never up to date.  My boys are now 3 and 6, but for awhile, the 3 movies I saw in a row in the theaters were Lord of the Rings 1, 2, and 3 - all over a different Christmas vacation with relatives watching them.  You just have to roll with it and laugh at how different your life is now.  

Karen in Portland (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:28 PM)

The last movie my husband I saw together was about 2 years ago  before my son was born.  I never get to watch all my favorite TV shows like Project runway or America's next top model.  I have to wait for the re-run or get caught up on the internet...while I'm at work. Now we  have a 6 month old daughter...need I say more???

Nikki, Jacksonville, FL (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:30 PM)

THink about all the new shows you now get to enjoy (or will soon)! The Wiggles, Blues Clues, Go Diego Go, Yo Gabba Gabba, and the dreadful Oobi.

Think of all the music you are now getting to learn. Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, Dirty Sock Funtime Band.

And as far as movies, nothing beats Mandy Patamkin in Elmo in Grouchland!

Bruce, Centereach, NY (Sent Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:32 PM)



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