I am M41 and have a son who is M6. I have posted before about how he is quite sensitive and cries a lot.

Whenever he cries, he will ask for TV to calm him down. I am wondering whether it is wise to give him TV. I worry lest he learn that the way to handle unpleasant emotions is to distract yourself from them with (relatively mindless) entertainment. That doesn’t sound like a great emotion management habit… but on the other hand, it might be good enough at his age.

For example, today there was a miscommunication with a friend’s family. He thought his friend was giving him some toys, which was apparently not what the other kid meant. When my little guy was told that he could not take the toys home, he cried for a while, and it took TV to calm him down.

I would like advice. Is it fine to give him TV when he cries? And what alternatives can you suggest?

Thanks in advance!

  • 93maddie94@lemmy.zip
    1·
    4 days ago

    Could you offer television after he calms down? So he isn’t using it as a crutch and using it as an incentive to find other ways to soothe himself? So if he is upset and asks for tv say something like “I see you’re upset because ____ why don’t we try (going for a walk, taking a drink of water, resting in your bed, coloring a picture, sitting in your favorite chair, etc) when you’re calm we can talk about watching something together?” My four year old uses a lovey to calm down. Since she was six months old she’s had one in her mouth to sleep or to soothe. But we work on other strategies as well and it’s only allowed in her bed now that she’s older. I don’t want it to be her only way to regulate her emotions. She won’t have it all the time so it’s important that she has other things in her toolbox.