Neuschwanstein, cacophonies and other 4-year-old chatter

Say what you will about kids and tv but I have some proof that it's not all bad. Now, don't get me wrong, I do know that there are limits and boundaries that need to be set when it comes to what and how much our kids are exposed to and to borrow a couple of classic cliches that I heard growing-up:

• Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO was big in the Stone house when I was little)


• All things in moderation


• Just because a little is good doesn't mean a lot is better

See Dad, and you didn't think that I was listening.

But I must tell you that there are some kids tv shows that have truly helped me to mold my children into creative and intelligent little human beings! I'll touch on two that we really like at our house (yes, you can include Casey and I in that WE because we've been known to plop down and watch or whistle the theme songs around the house!).

The first is Little Einsteins. Maggie really liked Baby Einsteins and I've read some studies recently about how those videos can actually stunt a child's development but with Maggie it was quite the opposite. When she was out-growing them...along came Little Einsteins for toddlers. I remember watching episodes with her snuggled up in bed in the morning and being so impressed that they were teaching important geographical locations, art, and of course (being a music major) classical music. Before long, she was going around the house humming Dvorak's, Symphony No. 9, and Bizet's Les Toreadors from Carmen. I put a couple of classical pieces on my iPod and she requests them now and we pretend to conduct while we're driving places. Her all-time favorite is Edvard Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King. She sees art and can recognize it and wants to know more about Monet and Van Gogh. Once, when she was about 3, she told me that she wished she had a castle like the "Noosh-vine-stein" (Neuschwanstein) one in Little Einsteins. When I was taking a trip to New York, she wanted to know if I was going to see the Statue of Liberty or the United Nations. She saw an ad in a magazine once and told me that the building in the picture was the Leaning Tower of "Pizza". She was right!


I'm not exaggerating folks! These are not bad things to know at 3 years old and I would have never thought to introduce them to my kids.

Maggie and Rory's new favorite show is Pinky Dinky Doo. A very cute show about a little girl with a little brother who likes to make up stories, teach valuable lessons and uses a big word of the day. Why else would Maggie have started incorporating words like: exasperated, calamity, apprehensive, engrossed and cacophony into her vocabulary? I remember watching the one with cacophony and thinking, "I've never heard that word!". We used to read 2 or 3 books at night before bed but now she wants to make up stories on her own. I love the creativity that this show encourages her to have!



I swore when I was pregnant with Maggie that I wouldn't be one of those moms who parked her kids in front of the tv and allowed it to babysit them. I do still feel like there should be a limit to the time spent on the couch, just vegging out. But I will admit to those busy days when I've said..."Can you guys please just sit and watch tv for a little bit while I get fill in the blank done." If this is what they're learning while watching...I guess I'm okay with it.