I’ve resorted to what I didn’t want to become

Dinner needs to get made, dishes need to be washed, laundry needs to be folded … things just need to get done.  Unfortunately, not all of it can be completed while Jade is napping.    Unfortunately, when she’s awake, she wants me involved in everything.  If she wants to play in her room, she comes up and says “Hand … hand” until you take her hand and then she says “walking” until you go with her.  Otherwise, she’s just walking around my feet, saying “Up” or trying to get my attention in other ways, making it very difficult to get things done.

I always said, no TV until she’s 2. I didn’t want her sitting in front of the TV, begging for it all the time.

Well, a couple of months ago, I went to visit my family, and while we were there, my Mom introduced Jade to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It stuck with her, because when she returned home, she started asking for the “Hot Dog Dance.” I held her off for a little while, and that made going to the gym special, since they had a TV on in the Kids Klub at the gym.

But, as time went on, I’ve found that I couldn’t get things done and I was going batty trying to get things done and entertain her all of the time.  So, I started with just in the mornings, putting on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, for just the few minutes leading up to the Hot Dog Dance until the end of the show.  I figured 10 minutes of TV a day is not that bad.

Well, then it grew to the entire show (25 minutes).  Then, I added the opening skit and Elmo’s World from Sesame Street (another 30 minutes).  One day, I showed her Sid the Science Kid, and she loved it.

Now, she EXPECTS Mickey Mouse in the morning, and she EXPECTS Sid in the evening every day.  She wants the TV on all of the time. She’s even figured out the order in which I turn things on, and she’s started to turn things on herself (first turning on the XBox, then getting the TV remote to turn the TV on and switch it over to the XBOX, then standing in front of the Kinect to log in).  She’s really cute about it, but Really???!!!!

So, I at least can get dinner made in peace, but she’s watching TV at 19 months. Ugh!