We Turned on When We Turned Our Television Off
by Luvli Lotus
www.LivingOurBliss.net
art by Andrew Ostapenko
www.SpreadLove.ca
“When mommy tells you something you listen,” I scolded my precocious three year old daughter. “I told you to stay away from the DVD player and now you've broken it”.
The wiser part of me observed and gave commentary. “There is a gift in this,” my spirit told me. The wiser part of me knew this was the beginning of something beautiful, but the fed-up part of me was not done.
“Now you can't watch your DVDs,” I continued. Just two days prior we had rented a large stack of family movies. Even as we picked out our tower of cinematic pleasure, my excitement was mixed with sadness at the prospect of more hours in front of the television, knowing we were choosing television over numerous possibilities of adventure.
How had this happened? I, who never even owned a television until age 29. I , who felt I wanted to live instead of watch people live, had become a television junkie. Furthermore. I was raising a television junkie. My daughter's first words in the morning were, “I want a banana”. Then, like a little old lady talking about her soap operas, “I wanna watch my shows”.
As a single mother I could justify our television crutch in so many ways. For instance, “When I need a little time to myself it's convenient to sit her down in front of the TV,” or “She's watching PBS, so it's educational,” or “I work from home so she needs a distraction while I work”.
Although my daughter and I spend everyday together, we yearned for a deeper connection. It began the day before yesterday when she broke the DVD player. As my wise self began to take over, I realized the message of our mishap. I hugged my little girl and apologized to her for yelling, but assured her that she does need to listen to her mommy. Then, we turned on some music and prepared for bed. I went to bed excited for the next day, a bit nervous as well.
As my fears arose, I was surprised by how ridiculous they were. I worried she wouldn't find anything to do or that she would miss out on vocabulary that she might learn from PBS. Did I actually think our backyard and house full of art supplies were not stimulating enough? Did I actually believe our conversations and story times were not going to help build her vocabulary.
The next morning she woke up with her usual request, “I wanna watch my shows”.
“We're not going to watch TV today,” I said. Then it began... television withdrawal.
“I wanna watch my shows.” she wailed. “I wanna watch my shows,” she hollered and cried. I sat by quietly letting her vent. After a while, she picked up a colored pencil and a sketch pad and began drawing. Then, she asked if she could go outside to the backyard to play.
I worked on the computer as she played inside and outside. When I had completed my work we walked to the store to return our unwatched DVDs. We bought an art set with water colors, chalk, markers and crayons for one dollar at the grocery store. On our way home we stopped at a school playground where children were playing after school.
When we got home my daughter asked for TV one more time. I suggested she take her water colors outside to paint with. When the sun was almost down, I convinced my creative little daughter to come back inside. She put her pajamas on and fell asleep almost immediately. “Now that's a great day,” I said to myself contentedly.
Today my girl asked for TV once. No fit, no crying, just a question to which I replied, “Would you like to draw with your new markers? She drew a couple of pictures and then she wanted to play outside in the rain. I bundled her up and sent her outside to exercise her imagination.
I have left the door open for her. I am sitting by an open window to watch her and enjoy the fresh rain air as I write this article. She has come in to join me now and is sitting next to me with her marker and sketch pad. She's a writer too.
It is amazing to enjoy the magic and gifts of everyday mishaps. To listen to the guidance of my spirit and the wisdom of my child. In every mishap there is a message, and each lesson offers a gift. Here's to an even more magical tomorrow.
by Luvli Lotus
Luvli Lotus is a mother, wife, and lover of life. She is the author of Living Our Bliss: An Introduction to Sun Food and publisher of Divine Revolution Magazine.
Visit her sites
www.LivingOurBliss.net
www.DivineRevolutionMag.com
art by Andrew Ostapenko
www.SpreadLove.ca
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