Using the TV Strike Productively

The Lovely Mrs. Davis writes an entertaining and useful weblog about parenthood, media and music. Sometimes her posts are dispatched from the front-lines of parenthood, other times they are useful tips about great songs and bands that are actually listenable to both adults and smaller children.

Musical development matter quite a bit for the wee ones. Our 10 month old responds to anything with a beat. And the older ones continue to surprise me - both the 8 and 12 year old have started to request repeat listenings of songs from REM and the Talking Heads. One night I pulled out a stack of CDs - and they seemed mesmerized by the diversity. We ran through Robyn Hitchcock, Fela Kuti, Bob Dylan, Joanna Newsom, Loretta Lynn, talking about the songs, the instrumentation, the feel.

The Lovely Mrs. Davis in her latest post mentions going back to see TV shows like 'Friday Night Light' in their entirety, having missed them the first time or joined late in the game. It's something that seems increasingly popular. Mrs. Spacetropic and I recently did this with the Sopranos - we watch an episode or two every week. Hollywood has produced some good content in the past few years, such that some are calling it a 'golden age'. But one of the side effects is that there's almost too much to see - we can really use the strike to catch up.

Or use the time to listen to music again, with your kids. Some form of culture, like greeny, cruciferous vegetables, is an important part of a healthy, balanced intellectual diet for youngsters and all ages.