We have finally given in to Grayson watching a little television. It all began innocently (and ironically) enough with a book. Grayson is currently obsessed with books and his favorite one is Elmo Loves You. He calls Elmo "Momo" and has read this book so much it's literally falling apart at the cardboard seams.
Knowing how much he enjoys Momo, I thought I'd show him a few Elmo sing-a-long videos on YouTube for fun. When Grayson recognized Momo as a "real" live movable thing on the screen his face immediately lit up and he began dancing. He was filled with so much excitement and surprise, it was like he discovered a long-lost friend. Up until that point, he had no idea that Elmo lived anywhere besides his books.
It would be easy to assume that his instant fascination stemmed from not really being around the television, but the truth is we've shown him some other kid-friendly morning shows and even some Baby Einstein DVDs and he quickly looses interest after a minute or two.
Not wanting to force TV on our young child, we just moved on and were thankful he enjoyed playing and reading, but now that he's discovered Elmo it's like he can't get enough of this new, wonderful friend. Last weekend we purchased an Elmo "Let's Play Music" DVD that's 56 minutes long. Grayson actually sat completely still and watched it for 27 minutes straight. After a short play break and snack he went back and finished the rest of it. We were shocked.
Luckily, Elmo is fairly educational and likes music which Gray is also very into these days, but I am amazed that something can capture Grayson so completely when other puppets, cartoons and even Mickey Mouse don't seem to interest him. I guess those Sesame Street folks really know kids.
We're still planning to limit Grayson's TV exposure but it's nice to have the DVD in our back pocket, especially for things like our upcoming roadtrip to Beavers Bend State Park or flight to Houston. Momo may quickly become best friends with our entire family.
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