I thought I was a bad parent for letting my child watch too much TV. But is that really true?

When I want to prepare a meal or just need a little break myself.
At times like those, I end up turning on the TV.

“I’ve relied on the TV again.”
“Is this bad for them…?”
I often felt uneasy thinking things like that.

In parenting books and on social media, I see many concerning phrases like “limit TV to 2 hours a day” or “don’t let them watch too much.”
I see these things a lot.

Let them read books.
Let them play outside.

Sometimes I would feel down, thinking, “I’m just not doing those things…”

Of course, there are days when we read picture books or play outside.

But my child really loves the TV.
Seeing them watch it with such focus, laughing and looking surprised, makes me feel like I can’t fully blame them.

That said, the Japan Pediatric Society suggests a limit of “up to 2 hours,”
and on holidays, we often exceed that time.

“Am I really a bad parent after all…?” I thought that somewhere in my heart.

Then one day, I had a sudden idea and tried watching TV with my child.
“Do you like this character?” “This is funny, isn’t it?”
I tried making a little conversation.

To my surprise, my child’s reactions were richer than usual.
After that, they said, “I want to make that man’s hat!” and did some crafts with paper,
or tried painting the characters from the show,
and before I knew it, the TV had become a “trigger” that expanded their play.

Seeing that changed my feelings a little.

It’s not that letting them watch TV is bad in itself,
but the meaning of that time changes depending on how you engage with it.I realized that.

Of course, I don’t watch it with them every single time,
and on days when I have no energy, it ends up being “left on.”
But when I can think, “I had some time to watch it together,”
I feel like my guilt eases just a little bit.

If you have a day where you feel down, thinking, “I relied on the TV again…,”
please try sitting down next to them if you’d like.

“What do you like about this?” “This is funny, isn’t it?”
Just by having those small exchanges,
the TV time might turn into parent-child time.

I am still going through trial and error myself,
but I wrote this as an experience that made me feel a little more at ease.

Thank you for reading this far.

May your day be a wonderful one.