Thank you, Nick Jr.

To set the record straight immediately, this posting is an ode to the cable channel Nick Jr., not some man named after his father (unless that's how the channel was named, then disregard this opening sentence).

I remember before I had children. Back when I was naive optimistic about how baby-raising would go. I vowed to only feed them organic food, refuse to negotiate, never raise my voice and above all - NEVER let my kids watch television. Especially before - gasp - the age of 2.

Fast forward a few years.

Okay, to cut myself some slack, I've been pretty good about the organic food thing. However, Paige also said to me last week "Hey, let's go to McDonald's, Mommy. I will get nuggets, and fries and apple slices. Oh, and a Sprite. Is that a great idea?"

Let's see: refusal to negotiate. That's funny. I really do agree with my pre-child self. It's a horrible habit to get into. It's also much easier said than done when your toddler is having a complete meltdown because it's 1:30 pm and you had the bright idea to run to Target, your baby is screaming, you have sweated through your shirt (and bra) and people are giving you dirty looks in the checkout line. Oh? What's that you say, Paige? You would like to open these animal crackers right now and you will stuff your mouth full of cookies and stop losing it? Oh, and Blair, you want one too even though they aren't even close to an age-appropriate snack and most likely a choking hazard? Okay. Deal. (Before you freak, if you know me you know I made my husband take an infant/toddler CPR class with me).

Hmmm. Never raise my voice. Ha. That's funny. I mean, I yell "STOP YELLING!!" multiple times a day. Next.

Never watch television. Seriously? What the hell was I thinking? Listen, I am the first to agree that reading a book is a much better option. And I read to my kids every day. Well, most days. But, dinner has to be made. It's really not my fault that the girls stringently adhere to the Witching Hour Rules (a lot like Fight Club, I imagine). Or that the smoke alarm goes off. Or that some random kid from Broad Ripple High School decides this is the best time to come try to sell me M&Ms. Or that the dog decides to manically bark to go outside, then come back in, then go back out...you get the point.

So, yes. My children watch television. Thank God. It's educational (I mean, the catchphrase for Nick Jr. is that "it's like preschool on TV" for goodness sake!). It's not like they watch it all day (they have to nap, right?). And, I often sit with them and we discuss what we're learning.

Why am I explaining myself? Here's what it boils down to: to those moms who say they never let their kids watch TV, I'm pretty sure you're lying. Or just a better mom than I. But, let's hope you're just lying.

(The girls watching 'The Backyardigans' - I'm not going to lie, I love that show)