Friday, August 13, 2010

My new dance buddy

Ashton has 3 dance steps, named by his father. There is the "boogie shuffle", which in my head is called "The Maniac" because it reminds me of a certain scene in "Flashdance". There is the "boogie wiggle" and the "boogie dance" as well. He does them on demand, but is usually more willing to do them in the bathtub (when my child baths, he does not sit. He splashes and dances pretty much the entire time except for when we do the cleaning part). Anyone who enters the bathroom at this time is not dry when they exit.
Ashton doesn't watch TV. We have kept him away from it for the most part, more when he was a baby. We PVR most things because we can relax more and watch our shows undistracted and skip commercials after he goes to sleep. If it's on during the day, he will periodically glance at it but will not engage in watching it. I am happy with that. I was raised without TV for the most part and I don't think it's necessary. I don't think it's evil for a child either. I just think moderation is key. I think that some parents may use it for the convenience of it being a babysitter for young children for hours on end, which is extreme. I once babysat 2 children who asked me once when their parents' would be home but rather than "at 5-O-clock" or "In 2 hours", they only understood it as "In 4 TV shows". Anyway, I watched the last 1/2 hour of last nights' episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" today. Ashton sat beside me on the couch and played with maracas and semi-circular stacking balls while paying no attention to the TV. Then the dancing started. As the music came on, the maracas fell to the couch. Ashton stared. Then he started squealing and bouncing, screaming and clapping his hands. The dancing stopped and the judging began. Ashton looked back down to his toys and the TV was forgotten...until the next dance. So when he's older, will he come to watch musicals with me at the theatre? Will he come to the ballet performance of "The Nutcracker" at Christmas? Or is this just a case of an almost-2-year-old perking up to music and movement and a hopeful mother who is hoping that at least one of the males in the house will want to watch musicals with her one day? Time will tell.

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