Surprisingly, though, I've discovered that there are also benefits to letting them watch a little bit of tv. For my DS6, if he didn't get to enjoy Star Wars Clone Wars cartoons, he wouldn't fit in with any of the boys his age around here who act it out whenever they're together.
You might be surprised, actually. We don't have TV (not a "religious" decision, DH and I have just never really seen the point; we rather assumed that when we had a child we'd need to get one for the kind of reason you mention, but so far DS7 doesn't show any sign of wanting one either). Yet DS somehow knows enough to join in with the playground games! Maybe it's just that the other kids enjoy telling him what he needs to know, but it doesn't seem to hold him back. I asked him explicitly once whether he ever felt left out through not having TV, and he said not. This may change later, of course, but it's our experience so far.
I like the cartoon!
