What Do You Watch With Your Kids?

By Veronica

We do not have a television. We did not have high-minded reasons for pitching the tv. We did it for one reason only: whenever I have a tv, I watch garbage. For hours. Afterwards, I can not even tell you what I  saw.

Now we entertain ourselves with the internet. Whether it’s blogging or reading or watching videos on Hulu or YouTube, the internet forces me to be much more deliberate about my choices. I cannot get sucked into a six-hour Gilligan’s Island marathon on the internet.

Not yet, anyway.

But not having a television does not exempt me from the curse of children’s entertainment. We let our kids watch videos. During the exhaustion of my third pregnancy, I let my oldest girl watch so much  Angelina Ballerina that she actually started saying some words in Angelina’s insufferable accent. And my two-year-old would, if we allowed her, happily watch Boo! every hour of every day.

Meanwhile, the shows I love – currently Chuck, Life, Bones, Burn Notice and Battlestar Galactica – are relegated to the hours when the children are asleep, the dishes are washed, and I am awake enough to sit up for awhile.

Guess how often that happens.

If I want to watch something for a few minutes while the kids are awake, the choices are few. So imagine my delight a few weeks ago, when I discovered Rhett and Link, two internet comics who have been working for a little over a year. I stumbled upon their videos, and I was hooked. Their songs and sketches have that quality, rare as a full night’s sleep: they are written for adults, but also safe for children.

My children now love Rhett and Link. I love Rhett and Link. Even Az the Husband, a taciturn grizzly bear in matters of comedy, loves Rhett and Link. My children sing their songs. I sing their songs. Az does not sing their songs, but Az only sings if there is a choir around him and sheet music by Bach or Tallis in front of him.

Rhett and Link have a website and a channel on YouTube. My favorites so far are Maine Man, The BBQ Song, Guacamole, Middle-School Girlfriend, The Facebook Song and this little confession. Occasionally they indulge in some gross, 3rd-grade boy humor that makes me squeamish, but probably appeals to boys. Possibly more than you’d like.

Now that I’ve found them, I am wondering how much other great stuff I might be missing. Do you have some wonderful grown-up entertainment that you can unashamedly watch in front of your kids? I want suggestions. Give me the details in the comments.

Since Veronica has no tv to fall asleep in front of, you can find her blogging at Toddled Dredge.