Day two

We usually start our day automatically, by flipping on the TIVO and putting on whatever kid's show is the current obsession. It gives the adults time to get coffee into the vein and the kids a chance to wake up. It's such a reflex that, yesterday, our first full day without TV, I had to stop myself. When I padded out to the kitchen--amazingly awake before the little ones--I found my husband drinking coffee and reading the paper in silence.

Sunlight fell across our dining room. Birds sang. It was absolutely peaceful. Serene. A true oddity, for mornings around here are usually jagged and in serious need of ADD medication. When the kids awoke, they slipped into the stream of quiet that enveloped our house. The one-year-old played with the three-year-old. And when it was time for Daddy to go out the door to work, they all followed him to the threshold and moistened him with sweet kisses and big hugs.

I took a deep breath and started my daily chores, sure this wouldn't be easy.

As I unloaded the dishwasher, dancing to a tune coming off of my stereo, I noticed something very unusual. The kids bent over individual tasks, one the job of dressing up like a superhero, the other the important work of assembling small dolls. They were in the zone. Our usual rattle of TV in the background, I believe, has made it difficult for these small minds and hands to become fully engaged. And here, all this time, I'd thought they weren't capable of engagement. Silly Mommy.

I wondered what in the world we'd do. So what did we do, you ask? We brought puzzles to the big dining room table and worked together to make pictures out of pieces. I taught the three-year-old how to use a plastic knife to cut a pear into pieces he could eat. Without the TV for distraction, I had to do something with the children while I cooked. I wondered if the plastic knife would be too much, if he'd use it for evil against his little sister. Instead, with the tip of his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth, he carefully sliced the pear into small portions and then distributed them.

After dinner, during our usual movie time, often the embarrassingly 4th movie time of the day, we went for a walk along the Mississippi River. We turned over rocks to reveal skittering crickets. We ran up and then down the levee.

Before bed, we read lots of stories. It put my husband to sleep, and then, as my promised reward, I watched "The Office." As I climbed into bed, I thought, "I could do without that old TV."