I tend to keep my TV tuned to CBeebies - great educational stuff and no ads! However, as I am the type of person who craves background noise, we were ending up watching stuff 3 times unless we went out, which on bad weather days wasnt happening. Cue big guilt trip! Then something weird happened when my daughter was about 3 - she asked for the TV to go off! Shock! Resisting the urge to grab my comfort blanket and over -rule her, instead I said "you're just like daddy - you like peace and quiet, dont you!". Daddy was flavour of the month and so the behaviour continued - hurray! We still watch a fair bit of telly on wet weather days, and i can even be seen (picture this!) pleading for the TV to go on sometimes, when I'm just too worn out/sleep deprived/headachy!

In my defense, I do watch it all with her, except when I'm cooking the evening meal, and chat to her about it, so it drives our conversations on my no-brain days. And it was a great distraction when I was exhausted from pregnancy last year - I wouldnt have survived otherwise! And, like others, she does eat better when it's on, though that glazed look drives me mad sometimes, so I'm trying to wean her off that one, except at breakfast, when none of us manage to wake up enough to rise above the monosylabic!

I let my kids watch tv, I have pay tv so they tend to like watching animal planet or the kids shows, but I turn it off and push them outside.  My husband was looking after them one day and let them watch the simpsons, he didn't think it was such a big deal but a few days later while on a visit to Grandma's my 4 yr old pulled his pants down and flashed his bum at my mum (just like Bart does) so yes it does have any impact on their behaviour.

Television certainly is increasingly becoming the babysitter for some children.  Children's programmes in the morning or afternoon is enough for my children.  We do other things like playing with puzzles, chalkboard, educational puzzle games, playdough and all the stuff that kids have played with for decades.  I do get my coffee break time, and I choose that time when they are happy doing their own thing.  I don't tell them to go away and leave me alone, although I do ask them to wait a moment mummy is busy and I will help you with that in a minute.  going outside to play with outdoor equipment or the dog or ride the bikes is something we do on good days too.  I find, if I am trying to work or cook or something that is hard to do when the kids are under you or getting unruly, including them in some way makes them settle instead of sitting them down in front of the box.  I could go on forever, but the general consensus among society is that yes, television is becoming a very bad habit.

As kids, we always had to ask permission to turn on the Tv (and use the telephone) and our viewing was strictly limited. As a result, although I couldn't join in with some school conversations about this or that programme, I spent alot more time when at home playing out in the garden, making my own entertainment (a rope strung between two trees kept me learning to "tight rope" walk for weeks!

I am, unfortunately, a little too into the habit of turning the TV on now for background as much as anything. There is a TV in the kitchen because the previous occupant of our house had set up an aerial there, and my little girl asks for children's programmes at mealtimes. We have found that she tends to eat better because she is concentrating on what is going on rather than what she is eating, but although they are educational or appropriate programmes, I can see a glaze descend over her eyes.

I think I will have to make a concerted effort to wean her off the TV a bit. It is handy because at meal times I can concentrate on feeding the baby without needing to amuse my daughter, but maybe I should just get on and try and amuse her myself...