Admit to electronic babysitting early on to give me a break! Had a neighbor long before I had a child who I distinctly remember saying she begged her one boy to watch t.v. while she tried to make dinner, to avoid him re-wiring the electricity in the house... again...didn't really understand until DD came along.
PBS Kids is great and DD still wants to watch on days off and sick days. I love Marth Speaks!
I'd add to the feedback about knowing mainstream things to be able to talk to other kids about stuff going on. We haven't had cable in about 7 years, but Sat. morning cartoons are just fine and you get all the commercials for what is being pushed also...
Netflix, library loans, and watching cable non-stop when at hotels, as well as reading whatever is most consumed at the moment in different grades - as a suplement to science non-fiction and children's classics. We always try to see the popular movies when they come out (though sensitive hearing and AHDH tendencies delayed the age of sitting through movies at the theatre we're catching up)
